The ghost whisperer
by nadwitch
Summary: Naru had been gone for 3 years. Mai realizes that her power is growing. One of her abilities is to hear the voice of the spirit. Then Naru returns once again to open SPR. As Mai helps the narcissist with new cases, she begins to discover who she really is and her family's legacy. Sorry not good with summary. This is my first story. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"Me or Gene?"

I became speechless upon hearing Naru's remark. Tears slowly trickled down from my eyes.

"I didn't know it was him," I whispered weakly.

I could not stop my tears from flowing down. I was not crying because of a broken heart. My tears were a sign of sadness for Gene. He has always come to help me and I never know his real name. All this time, I thought he was Naru's alter ego in the dream world. I didn't even have a chance to say thank you to him.

I looked up and realized that I was standing alone in the forest. Naru had decided to leave me when he saw me crying. Oh, no! Did he really think that I am in love with Gene? It is true that I have liked the way Gene smiles gently in my dream but I have fallen in love with Naru when he saved me in one of our cases. I returned to the cabin, hoping to explain the reason for my tears but Naru had locked himself up in his room. I made the decision to talk to him tomorrow, before he and Lin left for England. However the next morning, it seems like Naru was making sure that he was never alone with me. I had no chance to explain to him. At the airport, I could only said good bye timidly and watched my first love, no my unrequited love, leaving me behind, with the possibility of never returning again.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Ability**

Three years had passed by since SPR disbanded. Yet I still meet up with the old gang every once in a while. Ayako and Boa-san surprise everyone when they declared that they are currently dating each other. They still quarrel from time to time but they really do love each other. Masako is much nicer to me, now that she has a new love interest. John is busy helping at the church but he will still find the time to join us. Yasu on the other hand end up moving to my housing area. So we become classmates and even end up in the same university.

Not much have changed throughout the time period. I suppose the one who has changed a lot is me. For the last three years, somehow my power has become stronger. Before this I could not really see or hear the ghosts unless they had decided to appear in front of me. Now, my senses are stronger and I can actually hear them. When I first heard the voices, I thought that I was going crazy. Anyone will think the same if you start to hear voices but cannot see to whom the voices belonged to. I thought I was hallucinating at that time. It actually took me a while to realize that those voices belonged to the spirits. Luckily Boa-san and Ayako were there to help me during those time. They taught me how to keep my focus. Now, I am able to control my hearing ability at will. I can choose to make myself deaf to the spirit world or to open my ears to hear them.

Aside from my senses, I can even use PK now. I was thrilled when I first discovered that I could move things by using my mind. I had discovered this power by accident when I wanted to stop a cup from falling to the floor. The cup suddenly floated and fell into my hand safely. However this power takes a toll on my body. I get tired easily. I guess this must be the reason why Naru seldom uses his PK. I don't think my PK is as strong as Naru but I'm happy that I have something in common with him. Although Ayako and Boa-san knew about my hearing ability, I have never told anyone about my ability to use PK. I suppose I want to keep it a secret since it is the only thing that connect me to Naru. I occasionally train myself to use the power on my own. Once again I find that I can control my power at will if I managed to stay calm and concentrate.

As for Gene, he never show up in my dream again. I guess when we found his body; he is finally able to pass on. The only thing I have of him is a picture. Lin had given it to me before they left. It was a picture of Gene and Naru when they were young. I cannot help but giggle every time I look at the picture. While Gene was smiling, Naru had that same cold expression on his face. He has not changed one bit. Still the same old Naru even when he was only ten years old. Although my power has improved, I have never go for ghost-hunting. I stumble into spirit from time to time but they are harmless and do not have bad intention towards the living. So I just leave them alone. Not once have I thought that I will be involved again with dangerous cases.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Unexpected visitor**

I found myself in the astral plain. This was the first time that I have been here since Naru left. Of course I was there alone. Gene was no longer around to be my spirit guide. Usually I will find myself floating in a space filled with soft light before Gene makes his appearance and take me to see the events which are related to our cases. Today however I find myself walking in a vast green field under a starlit sky. Despite the change of scenery, I knew that this place was the astral plain. The aura remained the same.

"Mai! Mai!"

Startled, I looked around but couldn't see anyone. The voice kept calling for me. Somehow I felt happy and yet sad to hear the voice.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Be careful, dear. If he found out about you, he will come to get you" said the voice.

"What? I don't understand? Who's coming to get me? Who are you?" I continued to ask for an answer.

"Be safe, dear. Please be safe."

The voice seemed to be moving further away from me now.

"Hey, wait!" I shouted and started running towards the direction of the voice.

The dream ended there and I found myself in the locker room with my colleague, Yumi standing in front of me.

"Mai, how can you fall asleep here? It's your turn to take care of the counter" said Yumi.

"Sorry Yumi. I must have dozed off for a few minutes." I apologized sincerely.

I put on my uniform and took my place at the counter. Since I was no longer working in SPR, I have been working at a fast-food restaurant. The salary was not much. I had no choice but to move out of my old house. Luckily, I managed to find a much smaller and cheaper apartment in the same housing area. I like that housing area as it is convenient since it is nearer to my university. Since today is Sunday, there are a lot of customers. I was taking the orders without really taking a good look at the customer's faces. I was busy putting the orders on the tray for my latest customer when I heard a familiar voice which caused me to freeze on the spot.

"You haven't changed a bit".

I looked up and my heart nearly stopped. Standing in front of me was Naru. He had grown a little taller than I remembered. His face had become more manly. The boy I have once loved is now a man.

"You might want to close your mouth or a fly might get into it," said Naru with a smirk.

My amazement immediately changed into anger. He might have become even more good looking but his personality is still the same as ever.

"Same goes to you! You are still the same idiot scientist," I said angrily.

"Is that the way to talk to a customer?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.

Geez, I really can't win against him.

"Yes sir. How can I help you?" I said while gritting my teeth.

"I'm re-opening SPR again. And I'm wondering if you want to work with me again?" replied Naru.

"Huh? What? re-opening? But..." I had too many questions to ask but Naru made a gesture to indicate something behind him. A lot of people were queuing up, waiting for their turn to order. Realizing this, I just gave him a nod as a sign of agreement.

"Then come at the old office tomorrow. I wanted to call you but someone else picked the phone and told me that you have moved. That person didn't know your contact number but luckily she remembered where you are working. Don't be late."

With that, Naru took his order and walked towards the exit of the restaurant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A new case**

I'm in the astral plain again. This time instead of the vast green field, I am standing near the seaside. The only similarity is the starlight sky. Once again, that beautiful voice calls out for me.

"Mai! Mai! Please do be careful" said the voice.

"Who are you? Please show yourselves" I pleaded.

"Hide your power Mai but continue training. You are not strong enough to face him yet."

"I don't understand. Who is this 'him' you are talking about?"

Once again the voice becomes further and further away. The voice continues to remind me to keep my power hidden and at the same time training myself to be stronger. Suddenly there is a loud ringing sound and I wake up from my sleep. Looking at the alarm clock, I realize that I will be late. I quickly jump out of the bed to get ready for my new job. No, my old job.

"You are late," said Naru when I finally appear at the office.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly as I greet the others who are already there.

Lin smiles and bows to me. Instead of returning his bow, I immediately hug Lin. In the beginning, Lin doesn't really like me. However he gradually warms up to me and begins to take care of me. While Bou-san and Ayako are like my parents and Yasu is my mischievous brother, Lin on the other hand is my mature older brother. Lin returns the hug and gives me a pat on the head. Naru imitates a coughing sound, a signal that he is getting impatient and wants to start the meeting immediately.

"What's the rush Naru. It's not like we have a case yet. You have just opened the SPR today. Let Ojou-san greets Lin. She has not seen him for three years after all," said Bou-san.

"It's true that today is the first day but you are wrong about us not having a case. I already have a case for us to investigate," replied Naru.

"Woah, that fast? Cool! It be just like the old time. I missed the moment when we worked together," chirped Yasu cheerfully.

" Well, let's go on with the details then," said Masako seriously.

I am amused at the way Masako talks to Naru now. She has changed. She no longer uses the old adoring tone when she is talking to Naru. I guess finding a new love really help you to forget about your old love. Why can't I be like her and move on to find new love? I'm still stuck at liking this narcissistic boss of mine.

"Yes but before that. Mai, tea!"

The others start to laugh upon hearing Naru's usual phrase.

"Looks like Naru has not changed at all after three years, " said Ayako in the middle of her laughter.

I immediately go to the pantry to make some tea. Geez, can't he ask for tea in a much nicer manner? After three years, he still couldn't say please.

Once the tea has arrived, Naru gives us a short briefing about the case. Apparently the client is an old friend of Naru's father. He had sent an urgent fax to Naru's father in England, asking for help. Apparently, supernatural disturbance has occurred at his new house. At first it started with just the appearance of strange sound in the middle of the night. Then the client's children started to complain about seeing strange figures in their room. Then the disturbances escalated to flying objects that cause minor injury to one of his maids. Since there are not many cases in England, Naru's father has instructed him to return to Japan to re-open SPR. Naru informs us that the client is expecting their arrival tomorrow and we may have to stay there for a few days. During the meeting, I have to force myself to stay focus on the case and avoid looking at Naru. I keep reminding myself that nothing could possibly happen between me and Naru. He has rejected me after all, without giving me a chance to explain my feelings. Once the meeting is over, all of us return to our home to pack our items.

* * *

_whew! Finally the 3rd chapter. I will try to write the latest chapter as soon as possible. I know, the beginning is a bit slow. I will try to hasten the pace and add a little bit of excitement in the next chapter. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The White Mansion (part 1)**

We arrive at Mr. Fujiwara's house quite early in the morning. The house turns out to be a beautiful white mansion which is situated near the country's side, surrounded by beautiful hills. Mr. Fujiwara and his family are already waiting for us at the gate.

"I'm so glad you can come here, Oliver. How is your father doing?" greeted Mr. Fujiwara.

"He's doing fine. He apologized for not being able to come here himself," said Naru politely.

"I understand. He's a very busy man. Please introduce your team members to me," replied Mr. Fujiwara.

"Oh yes. This is Houshou Takigawa. He is a monk so we call him Bou-san. This is Ayako Matsuzaki. She's a miko. John Bown here is a priest. I think you will recognize Miss Masako Hara. Lin and Mai here are my assistants. We have another member, Yasuhara. He is our researcher. He will come later in the afternoon," answered Naru.

Mr. Fujiwara introduces us to his family. His wife, Mrs. Fujiwara seems like a really gentle woman. They have a son and daughter, twelve years old Taro and nine years old Maya. For some reasons, Maya keeps staring at me. I smile to the little girl but she quickly averted my gaze. However I noticed that she will glance at me and stare again when she thought that I'm not looking.

"Well, let's go into the house shall we?" said Mr. Fujiwara nervously.

The minute I enter the house, a mixture of feelings rushes into me. There is fear and at the same time a nostalgic feeling as if I have been here before. I look at Masako, wondering if she had felt that sensation too. Masako has actually turned pale and shivering.

"Are you ok, Masako?" I asked, full of concern.

"Yeah, it's just that there seems to be countless of spirit wondering here. However, only one of them is emitting a large negative energy" said Masako.

Mr. Fujiwara takes us for a tour around the house. He has prepared three rooms for us to sleep in. I will be sharing my room with Ayako and Masako. Lin and Naru will be in one room while John, Yasu and Bou-san will be sleeping in one room. A big room at the ground floor will become our base. Naru immediately sets us to work.

"Well, Mr. Fujiwara. If you don't mind, I will ask my team to go around and put up the camera. Once we are done, we would like to interview everyone who lives here. Aside from your family, who else is staying here?" asked Naru.

"Of course. Well I only have a maid, a cook and a butler. However the maid is not here. She got injured a few days ago and I allowed her to return back to her hometown. She had been badly shaken by the incident and need the rest. I will tell the others to come by once you are ready," answered Mr. Fujiwara.

"Masako, can you walk around the mansion? Later, please report to me what you have sensed. As for the rest, please set up the camera," instructed Naru.

We quickly go around doing our job. As I am setting up the camera in one of the rooms, I feel like I should use my hearing ability. I pull down my shield and focus my ability for that particular room only. Since Masako has said that there are countless of spirits, I do not want to get a headache by listening to all of them. Luckily it seems like the only spirit in the room belong to a ghost of a little girl. She probably does not know that I can hear her. The little girl seems to be frantic and muttering to herself.

"Oh, no! More people in the house. I must warn them. It's dangerous here. That thing is slowly awakening"

I am tempted to ask her questions but maybe it is not such a good idea. Letting know a spirit that you can hear them might bring more harm than good. After all, we never know if a spirit can transform itself into something more terrifying. However my instinct is telling me that this ghost is not dangerous. As I am contemplating with myself about what to do, Naru calls us through the walkie-talkie and tells us to gather at the base. He is about to start with the interview and wants me to be there to jolt down what the others have said. The interview starts off with Mr. Fujiwara and Mrs. Fujiwara, then it continues with the workers and finally the children.

"Well, it started off with weird sound in the middle of the night. Heavy footstep, the sound of someone dragging something heavy on the floor and even the sound of a child crying. Then the children claimed that they saw strange figures in their room. We didn't see them though. Perhaps it will only appear in front of the children. Now, they refuse to sleep alone in their own bedroom. As for the flying objects, it happened three days ago in the kitchen. Everything suddenly floated. My maid got injured when some of the plates flew towards the wall and some of the debris hit her. Luckily nobody got hit by the flying knives" explained Mr. Fujiwara while his wife just nodded in agreement.

The workers said similar things too. However it was the children's statement that caught our attention. It was Taro who did all the talking while his little sister continued to keep quiet and stare at me.

"I woke up in the middle of the night because I felt cold. Someone had taken my blanket away. I thought it was Maya. However I saw a tall figure standing near the door. I don't know how to describe the figure. It was dark after all. However I have a horrible feeling about it. The figure slowly moved towards our bed. I wanted to shout or run but I can't move. Then another figure appeared; much smaller than the first figure, maybe around Maya's height. That figure distracted the tall figure and the tall figure followed the small figure. The tall figure came to our room twice and every time it tried to get closer to us, the smaller figure will appear and distract it," said Taro.

"I see. It only appears twice?" asked Naru.

"Yeah. When we told our daddy and mommy, they decided to sleep in our room. The figure didn't appear. That was the reason why we want daddy and mommy to be with us. I think it will only come when we are alone."

Maya's staring is making me feel uncomfortable. I finally decided to ask the little girl.

"Maya, you have been staring at me since we first met. What's the matter? Is there something you want to ask me?" I asked in a gentle tone.

Maya seems startled. I guess she does not realize that she has been staring at me since the beginning. She looks at us back and forth as if she is trying to decide whether she should trust us or not. Her brother is holding her hand and nodding as if giving her the permission to speak. Finally the girl seems convinced.

"You look a lot like her," said Maya.

"I look like someone? Who?" I asked.

"The lady in the big picture in the attic. There are also other people in the picture but you are the only one who resembles one of the people in the picture." said Maya.

Maya's remark stirs everyone's interest including Naru.

"A big picture? You mean like a family portrait? Is it your family's portrait, Maya?" asked Naru.

"No. When daddy bought the house, there are still some stuffs at the attic. I went there with nii-san once to find some treasure. The picture was hanging on the wall," answered Maya.

"Can you take us to the attic?" asked Naru.

Maya nods her head and shows us the way. When we arrive there, we discover the big picture on the wall. It is indeed a family portrait. It probably belongs to the previous owner of the house. And sure enough, the lady who is sitting in the middle of the other five people in the picture bears a close resemblance to me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The White Mansion (Part 2)**

"Maya's right. This girl does look like Mai-chan," exclaimed Ayako.

Naru carefully takes down the portrait and flips it behind to see if there are any inscriptions.

" The Higuchi Family. Year 1954" read Naru.

"Then the picture was taken 60 years ago. Hey Mai-chan, maybe she's your great grandmother," joked Boa-san.

Before I can make any remarks, Mr. Ishida who is the butler in the mansion appears and informs us about Yasu's arrival. We quickly return to the base to greet him.

"So what did I miss? Any supernatural activities yet?" asked Yasu.

"Nothing has happened yet. Anyway did you find anything strange about the house?" said Naru.

"This mansion was built in 1950. It belonged to the Higuchi family who owned a shipping company. There were six members in the family. They lived here for 10 years. Then in 1960, four of the family members died when the ship that they were boarding sunk due to a storm. The only surviving member were the youngest child and her grandmother. Apparently they didn't join their family who were on their way for a holiday in England. This is because the youngest child was sick and the grandmother decided to stay behind to look after her. After that, the mansion was sold to the Kamui family. The Kamui's family stayed here for twenty years. Then it was sold again for a few times. First to the Kaede family, then to the Tsukimoto family and finally to the Himura family. Only Kaede and Tsukimoto's family stayed in the mansion. The Kaede stayed here from 1980 to 1991 while the Tsukimoto stayed here from 1993 to 1999. The Himura only bought the mansion but never actually moved in. After that, they put the mansion for sale. The mansion stays vacant until Mr. Fujiawara has bought it recently," reported Yasu.

"Has any strange things happened to any of the families while they were living here?" asked Naru.

"Something did happen to the Kaede and Tsukimoto's family. Both families reported that two of their children went missing and the police has failed to locate them until now" Yasu replied.

"Can you give more details about the missing children?" said Naru.

"The children who went missing were 12 years old Satoru Kaede,9 years old Minami Kaede, 12 years old Hiroshi Tsukimoto and 9 years old Mika Tsukimoto. The Kaede's children went missing in 1988 while the Tsukimoto's children went missing in 1998. That's all that I managed to find. I will go back to the nearby town tomorrow and see if I can get more information" answered Yasu.

"Naru! Taro and Maya are both 12 years old and 9 years old. Do you think?" asked Mai.

"I know. Lin can you create protection for the children? I suppose we need to make sure that the children are never alone. I will inform Mr. Fujiwara about this. Since the case began with the Kaede's family, the root of the problem may have come from the Kamui's family. Try to find out more about them, Yasu. Masako, what did you find out?"

Naru changes his attention to Masako.

"There are a lot of wandering spirits in this mansion. However they are just lost and confused. There was a time when I detected a strong negative energy but it disappeared. Whatever it is, it was able to hide its presence," said Masako.

"Well there's nothing much to do. You know the usual routine. Lin and I will take the first watch. After that, it will be Bou-san and John's turn. Yasu and the girls can rest for today. Stay alert and be careful," said Naru before dismissing us.

Everybody returns to their room. I manage to catch up with Yasu at the hallway and show him the family portrait.

"Woah, she really does look like you," exclaimed Yasu.

"Yasu, listen. I know that Naru doesn't think that the Higuchi family has anything to do with what is going on. However can you find out about them for me? Maybe Bou-san is right and she really is my great grandmother," I pleaded to Yasu.

"Sure. If it's for you my lady, I will do anything," said Yasu while impersonating a gentleman's bow to me.

"Thanks Yasu, you are the best," I said and hug him.

"Mai!" Naru's cold voice causes both of us to jump. I am surprised to see him standing there. Somehow, Naru seems to be in a bad mood.

"I need tea," he said before leaving the both of us.

Geez, I should have known. I said goodnight to Yasu and quickly go to make tea for my narcissistic boss before returning back to my room to sleep.

* * *

_That's chapter 5. Will continue to update the story. It's getting bit more difficult to put my ideas into writing. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The White Mansion (Part 3)**

I find myself floating in the astral plain where there is nothing but soft glowing light. It is the same astral plain that had appeared when I first met Gene. I realize that this astral plain will probably only appear when I need to see the events that had happened in certain places. I remember how Gene used to take my hand and guide me forward. It is a bit difficult to move forward since I'm floating but I try to imagine that I'm swimming and manage to move myself. The astral plain disappears and I am now standing in a bedroom which is decorated in white and pastel blue colour. A little girl about the age of ten is lying on the bed. She has brunette hair which is tied into a braid and a pair of soft brown eyes. I try to talk to her and touch her shoulder but my hand brushes through her as if I am invisible. I understand that I'm there only as a spectator to see what will happen.

The door behind me suddenly opens and a boy, slightly older than the girl walks in. The boy too has brunette hair but his eyes are green. He takes a chair and sits beside the girl.

"Aya, are you still feeling sick?" asked the boy.

"Yeah but I think I'll get better tomorrow Aki-nichan,"replied Aya.

"I heard you scream last night. Was it another nightmare?" asked Aki.

"I had a dream that something bad will happen in this house," said Aya.

"Something bad? To us?" Aki asked with a worried look.

"No. To strangers. I don't know why they are here though," said Aya.

"Well let's stop talking about the nightmare. Here, see what I can do," chirped Aki happily.

Aki holds out his hand. There are flower petals in his hand. Suddenly the flower petals begin to float and start to create animal's pattern. That boy can use PK! Aya laughs and the scene disappear. I am still in the same room but the furniture has changed slightly. I heard a gasp and a sob. My attention immediately goes to the girl who is crying on the bed. To my surprise the girl on the bed is none other than myself. An old lady bursts out from the door.

"Aya! What's wrong?" asked the old lady.

Then, realization hits me. That girl is not me. She is Aya from the Higuchi family. I fail to see the resemblance when she was younger,probably because I have never tied my hair into a braid and the fact that the clothes that she was wearing at that time is not from my era.

"Grandma! Please stop them from boarding the ship. Please," cried Aya.

The scene disappears again and I find myself at the hallway of the mansion. A weird chanting can be heard coming from downstairs. I follow the sound until I find myself in the basement. The basement is filled with candle. In the middle of the room, somebody has drawn a weird symbol using red paint. A man is standing in front of the symbol. He is chanting in a weird language. Once he is done, he goes out only to appear again by dragging two children; a boy and a girl. He forces them to sit in the middle of the symbol. The girl is crying while the boy who is holding the girl's hand, beg the man to let them go. He ignores them and continues to chant. Suddenly a tall figure appears. I can't see the figure clearly, it is being shielded by a dark shadow. The figure approaches the children and to my horror engulfs the children. I can hear the children screaming and there is a sickening crunching sound.

I wake up from my dream, drenching in sweat. I look up and freeze. At the door, stands a small figure. I begin to panic. Should I scream for help? Ayako and Masako are sleeping in the same room after all. Then the figure starts to shimmer, revealing the shape of a little girl. It is a ghost of a little girl, probably the victim of the man in my dream. Somehow, my instinct is saying that the ghost is not dangerous. The ghost is beckoning me as if it wants me to follow her. She tries to say something but there is no sound. I quickly pull down my hearing shield to listen to what the ghost wants to say.

"I can't hold on to my shape much longer. Although I have been dead for more than twenty years, I still don't know how to appear and talk to the living. Please hurry up and follow me. That thing is taking the boy away."

I quickly set to work by waking up Ayako and Masako. It doesn't take long for the three of us to follow the ghost.

* * *

_Chapter 6 done. Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The White Mansion (Part 4)**

The ghost leads us to the second floor before disappearing. To our horror, we discover Toru walking behind a tall black figure. Taro seems to be in a trance. Without thinking, I quickly run towards Taro to stop him from following the figure. The next thing I know, a strong force hurls me towards the wall. While I am lying on the floor, I can hear Masako scream and the sound of Ayako chanting the Nine Cut spell. Finding it difficult to get up, I see the figure hurls Ayako towards the wall too. Just when I am about to use my PK, a chanting can be heard and I turn to see Boa-san and Lin are moving towards the figure. A hand suddenly grabs me and helps me to stand up. I look up only to discover that the person is none other than Naru. I am not sure if it is just my imagination but for a moment I could see a look of concern on Naru's face. The screeching sound brings both of our attention to the figure again. After a few seconds of struggle with Monk and Lin, the figure finally disappears. Boa-san immediately run towards Ayako and is relief to find that she is not hurt. Lin on the other hand walks towards Taro and picks him up.

"How is he?" asked Naru.

"He is asleep. I will take him back to his room," replied Lin.

"How did you know what is happening?" asked Ayako.

"Remember I told Lin to create protection for the children? Lin felt that something had broken the protection and informed us. How did all of you manage to come down here?" questioned Naru.

"Well. Mai-chan woke us up and told us that we need to follow the ghost of a little girl," answered Ayako.

"You did what? Didn't I tell you to be careful? It is a bit reckless to go around following a ghost," said Naru in disbelief.

"But Naru, you told me once that I have animal-like latent instinct. My instinct said that the ghost just wanted to help. If we didn't follow it, who knows what might happen to Taro. " I defended myself.

"That's right. When it comes to instinct, Mai's instinct is the most trustworthy one," said Masako.

"Fine. It is strange that you are able to get up in the middle of the night. You don't usually wake up easily," said Naru with a smirk.

"Well... I have a dream," I replied.

The mention of the dream definitely gets everyone's attention towards me. They are all waiting for me to explain further. I open my mouth only to turn it into a yawn. Embarrass, I quickly cover my mouth. Everyone except for Naru starts to laugh.

"I think we can hear about it tomorrow, Naru. We better let Mai rest for a while. She had been hurled to the wall quite roughly. Luckily there's no injury," said Ayako.

I thought Naru will protest but to my surprise he nodded and said, "Yes. She better has enough rest. I think I need to inform Mr. Fujiwara to take the children out of the house. It might be dangerous for them to stay here any longer."

The next morning, Mr. Fujiwara takes his family out of the mansion. It has been decided that they will be staying at a relative's house until the mansion is free of supernatural activities. Yasu has also went to the nearest town to get more information. The rest of us gather at the base to listen to my explanation about my dream.

"Based on your story, maybe it is not the Kamui's family but the Higuchi's family who did something to cause all this," said Boa-san.

"I don't think so. Remember I said that the brother has PK. I think Aya has the ability to dream about the future. She did mention that she had a dream that something bad will happen in the house but it will not happen to them, it will happen to strangers. She even dreamed about what will happen to the ship before she lost her family members," I replied.

I am convinced that the Higuchi family is innocent. Somehow I feel drawn to them.

"Well, we will need more information about that. Perhaps, Yasu will give us something that will shed some lights to this situation," said Naru.

"Mai, do you remember the symbol that you saw in the room? Can you draw it for us?" asked Lin.

I find a piece of paper and try to draw the symbol based on my memory. After finishing the drawing, I show it to Lin. Lin's face immediately turns pale. I know that he recognizes the symbol.

"What is it Lin?" asked Naru.

"This is a symbol of dark magic that is usually used by the dark Onmyouji. It is a symbol to summon demon." replied Lin.

* * *

_So who is responsible? Is it the Higuchi family or the Kamui Family? I never know that this case will take me more chapters than what I have actually planned. I have all the plot played out in my head but when I'm writing them down, it takes longer than I expected it to be._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The White Mansion (Part 5)**

"This is not just any ordinary demon summoning spells. This demon is too powerful. It can give the user wealth, power and even immortality. This spell usually involves a contract between the demon and the user. As you can guess, the contract requires sacrifices" explained Lin.

"So are you saying that since the creature has tried to take away Toru last night, does that mean the user is still alive?" said John in alarmed.

"Yes but he might not be a human anymore. Once you strike a deal with a demon, you are also selling your soul," said Lin darkly.

"Isn't there any way for us to stop the demon?" asked Ayako.

"The only way to stop the demon is by destroying the contract. Of course destroying the contract is a bit complicated. You need to recite a spell before setting it on fire," replied Lin.

At that moment, the phone rings. Naru picks it up and spends quite a long time conversing with the person on the phone. Once he is done, he turns to us with a troubled look.

"Yasu just called me. He told me that the Kamui's family used to live in another village not very far from here. Looks like the case of the disappearing children did not just happen in this mansion. It had also happened in that village. It seems like the cases have been going on for 60 years. Two children will go missing after every ten years and the missing children are always related by blood, usually brother and sister. I'm guessing that's the term for the sacrifices. Though I'm not sure about the significance of their age," said Naru.

"The contract usually does not just involved any sacrifices. Usually the demon demands sacrifices who have special qualities. So perhaps the qualities can only be found between brother and sister at that age. But right now the most pressing matter is to find the contract. Who knows where it could be hidden," said Lin.

"Perhaps we can ask the ghost," I said timidly.

Everyone turns to look at me. I can feel my face turning red. Did I just make a silly suggestion again? I close my eyes, waiting to hear Naru's sarcastic remark about my stupidity.

"Masako, how long does it take for you to prepare a seance'. Perhaps Mai is right. Maybe the victim knows where the contract is hidden."

That surprises me. Everyone even Naru thinks it is a good idea. Masako informs Naru that she will need at least thirty minutes to prepare everything. Bou-san is being protective again. He asks Naru to give both me and Ayako a break since we got thrown off to the wall yesterday. Naru seems annoyed but he allows it. The others continue to help Masako with her preparation. I sit on the couch. Yesterday lack of sleep is finally catching up with me. I fall asleep only to find myself in another dream.

Two men wearing mask are trying to find something in the house. A woman and a child enter the room. They are surprise to see the two men. The two men take out a knife and move towards them. Knowing what will happen, I close my eyes as I couldn't bear to see the violence. The shouting and the sickening sound of the knife itself have been unbearable. When I open my eyes, I see a different man kneeling on the floor. He is crying while holding the woman. She is covered in blood and no longer breathing. The lifeless body of the child is lying on the floor, not very far from the two of them. He must be the husband. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He has just lost his family.

The scene changes again. This time I see the husband drawing the symbol of the demon on the floor. He begins to chant. A few minutes later, there is a sudden flicker of light and in the middle of the symbol, lay a piece of black paper. That must be the contract! The man pricks his finger with a needle and stamps his blood on the contract. Then he drags two wooden boxes and places them in the middle of the symbol. When he opens the box, I yelp in surprise. Inside the boxes, lay the bodies of the woman and the child. He resumes chanting. The flicker of light appears again and to my horror the two bodies arise, alive once again. The man laughs and hugs the living dead. Although they seem to be alive, their eyes look vacant and hollow.

"Mai, wake up! The preparation is ready," Ayako's loud voice jolted me to reality.

All of us sit in a circle surrounding the table. Lin, Ayako, Bou-san and John are ready in case anything goes wrong. A seance' without knowing the identity of the spirit we are summoning is dangerous. We might accidentally summon a violent spirit. If it possesses Masako, it will be difficult as we of course do not want to hurt her. Masako uses a match to light the candle on the table. Then she begins to summon the spirit. It doesn't take very long for a spirit to appear and settle inside Masako.

"Who are you?" asked Naru.

"I'm Mika Tsukimoto." said Masako who has been possessed by the ghost.

We recognize that name as one of the missing children.

"Do you know what happen to you?" asked Naru again.

"Yes. The demon wanted two pure souls who are loving and have the desire to protect each other so Mr. Kamui kidnapped us."

"That makes sense now. Children still have pure soul. The other qualities are loving and the desire to protect each other which can be found among brother and sister. They love each other to the point of wanting to protect each other. 12 years old will be the ideal age since they usually realize their responsibilities to their younger siblings," added Lin.

"I understand the kidnapping. But I don't understand the incident of the strange sound in the middle of the night or the flying objects in the kitchen," said Bou-san.

"Oh, that was me. I was trying to scare the people into leaving the mansion. I wanted them to be safe. However I can't really control my power. I didn't mean to hurt the maid. I'm really sorry" answered Masako, no I mean Mika.

"I see. So you are the small figure who has been distracting the tall figure from coming any closer to Taro," I said with a smile.

I know that my instinct is correct.

"This is strange though. When the demon killed the sacrifices, the soul usually becomes wandering spirit because their essence has been stolen. They wouldn't have the ability to do what you did," said Lin.

"The reason is because I was the last victim. The demon already killed both of us and had stolen my brother's soul. Before it can do the same to my soul, a lady suddenly appeared and disrupted the ceremony. She did something. Thanks to her, Mr. Kamui is trapped in this mansion. The tall figure that you saw the other night, that's Mr. Kamui. He can no longer venture outside to kidnap children for the demon."

"A lady? Who?" Naru questioned the ghost.

"Well, she looked a bit like her but she is older of course," replied Mika while pointing at me.

Everyone looks at me while trying to process the information. However I know who it is. Mika is talking about Aya Higuchi.

"She's talking about Aya Higuchi," said Naru who seems to be able to read my mind.

"Listen Mika, do you know where Mr. Kamui keeps the contract?" asked Lin.

"He put it in a box. The box is hidden behind the bookshelf in the study room. I need to go now. In truth, I can leave this mansion but I stay behind hoping to prevent the same tragedy from happening to other children. Now I can rest easy knowing that you are here to help. Please be careful."

The candle on the table slowly died off and Masako returns to her real self. Taking Mika's advice, Naru said that it is best for us to start looking for the box tomorrow. Naru wants us to be fully prepared. He does not think that our effort in finding the box can be done smoothly. In case we are met with resistance, some of us might need to distract Mr. Kamui's spirit while the others look for the box. The plan is to immediately destroy the contract once found. So Naru has instructed Lin to teach us the spell. Moreover, each one of us has put a lighter in our pocket. Once he is satisfied with the preparation, he tells us to have a good rest.

* * *

_Finally, a showdown between SPR and Mr. Kamui or whatever creature he have become after striking a deal with the demon._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The White Mansion (Part 6)**

I am definitely wrong in thinking that tonight I will not be having any dream since the case is drawing nearer to the end. I am in the study room and Mr. Kamui is pacing around with an angry look. He is muttering to himself like a mad man.

"How dare that woman! Just because she used to live here, doesn't mean she has the right to order me around. Don't spoil the happy memory of my childhood place with evil? What nonsense! Nobody can separate me from my wife and Yuki. Nobody!"

The door behind me opens to reveal Mr. Kamui's wife and Yuki. Upon seeing them, he goes forward to hug them tightly. I couldn't help but feel pity for this man. He is not evil by nature. He just loved his family too much and that love has driven him mad, pushing him into darkness. After letting go of them, Mr. Kamui moves towards the shelf and pushes something. The bookshelf starts to move and reveals the secret compartment where the box of the contract has been hidden. He takes it out and begins to move towards the basement. His wife and Yuki simply follow him like a puppet.

At the basement, Mr. Kamui is preparing another ceremony for the demon. Once again I witness the horrifying ceremony. Two children are dragged into the symbol. Somehow, I have a feeling that the little girl is Mika. I watch helplessly as the black figure engulfs the children. Just when I thought Mr. Kamui has succeeded again in appeasing the demon, the door suddenly flew open. A woman in her 40's appeared. I know that she is Aya. The way she braided the hair has not changed at all. Aya begins to chant a spell. Her body starts to glow and the light becomes brighter and brighter. Someone or something cries out in agony . I turn around just in time to see the two living dead transform into skeletons before they fade away. Mr. Kamui angrily tries to strangle Aya. Aya manages to shout the last word of her spell and the light becomes too bright that I have to close my eyes. There is a moment of silence. When I open my eyes again, Aya is kneeling near the symbol, holding a glow of light in her hand. There is sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I could not save you or your brother. I can only trap them in this mansion. Only a person who has experienced death can destroy the contract. In the future, someone will come to end all of this."

The dream ends there. It is already morning. The day to find and destroy the contract. All of us meet at the base. Yasu is still in the village. He will not be joining us today. Naru once again asks Lin to check that everyone remembers the spell. After he feels satisfied, we move towards the study room. Naru is in his usual 'do as I say' mood which make it difficult for me to mention about my dream. We immediately start searching for the contract. A few minutes later, the temperature inside the room begins to drop. Lin is about to say something when he is flung into the wall. Mr. Kamui or the creature that used to be him finally makes his appearance. He no longer looks human, half of his face is disfigured and his eyes are golden with a set of sharp teeth. Lin quickly releases his shiki, Bou-san and Ayako both recite their chants. John tries to help but he too is thrown to the wall.

Masako, Naru and I continue to search the shelf, looking for any secret knobs that might open the secret compartment. I finally find a knob and press it. The contract is in my hand. However I don't have a chance to recite the spell. The creature sees what I have found and uses his power to pull me towards him. I find myself face to face with the creature. He has put both his hand on my neck and tries to choke me. In the chaos, the contract has slipped from my hand. The creature pushes me away and tries to grab the contract. I fall to the ground, coughing and trying to get my breathe back. Luckily Masako is much faster and manages to snatch the contract. Lin, Bou-san and Ayako immediately stop the creature from getting nearer to Masako.

"Masako! Do it now!" cried Lin.

Masako recites the spell and put the contract on fire. However nothing happens. The fire does not damage the contract. It remains intact.

"What? impossible! She recited the spell correctly," said Lin as he struggles to stop the creature's movement.

Nobody knows what to do. Lin, Bou-san, John and Ayako try to restrain the creature. At that moment I remember Aya's words. Only a person who has experienced death can destroy the contract. Naru! Naru has psychometrist! He has experienced death! He experienced Gene's death!

"Masako! Give it to Naru. The spell will only work if Naru said it," I shouted to Masako.

Masako heard me. She is about to run to Naru when she is thrown to the wall. Luckily she manages to throw the contract towards Naru's direction. Naru grabs the contract and shouts the spell before setting it on fire. This time it works. The creature cries out in agony. Strong wind fills the room and finally the creature disappears.

"We did it! We did it!" shouted Bou-san.

Everyone is cheering happily. At that moment the bookshelf starts to fall down, straight towards Naru. Naru doesn't have time to move away. I use my PK to stop the shelf midair and this gives time for Naru to save himself. Everyone is too shocked at what just happened. As for me, I feel extremely tired. This is the first time I have ever tred to use my PK on a large object like the shelf. Everything seems to be spinning around. The last thing I hear is Naru's voice, shouting my name before everything goes dark.

In a faraway place, a man who has been meditating stir from his position. He is dressed in black. He opens his golden eyes and starts to frown. With hatred in his voice, he said "So, the heir of Higuchi still lives."

* * *

_That's the end of the White Mansion episode but it is not the end of the story. Mai has yet to discover her relationship with the Higuchi's family. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The warning**

The garden is beautiful. Flowers are blooming everywhere. The sky is crystal blue. There is a sense of peace and tranquility. As I lay down on the grassy ground, I can't help but wish that I can stay in this place forever.

"You are not suppose to be here," said someone.

I quickly sit up and look around me. Naru is sitting not very far from me. He is smiling gently to me. Wait! Smiling?

"Gene?" I said with uncertainty.

"It's nice to see you again, Mai," said Gene calmly.

He stands up and walks towards me. He offers his hand to help me stand up. I accept his offer and once I'm up, I couldn't help but hug him. Gene laughs and returns my hug before giving me a pat on my head. A very brother-like gesture.

"Gene! I'm happy to see you here. You were gone before I could even say thank you. You help me a lot back then. I'm upset that you disappear before I can even show you my gratitude," I said.

He laughs again. His laughter sounds like the tinkling sound of bells. I can't help but wonder how does it sound like for Naru if he is the one who laughs. I probably have zero chances of ever seeing him laugh.

"Come on, I show you the way out. You are ahead of your schedule. It is not your time yet," said Gene.

He leads the way. There are so many things that I want to ask Gene.

"Gene, is Aya Higuchi here too?" I asked.

"Probably. Why do you want to see her?"

"I want to know if we are related. My parents passed away when I was young. I don't really remember them. I grew up alone because I was told that I don't have any relatives. I guess it will be nice to know about my family even if they are no longer alive," replied Mai.

"I see. I'm sorry Mai. I can't help you find her here. The longer you are here. The more difficult it is for you to return. Besides, that idiot scientist is probably worried sick about you," answered Gene.

I am about to answer to Gene, saying that it is impossible for Naru to be worried about me when that beautiful voice that I heard in the astral plain appear again.

"Mai! He knows you exist now. He felt your power when you save that boy. He will try to find you. Please stay safe," said the voice.

"Who are you? Please show yourselves. I don't understand any of this," I said.

"It's not time yet honey. You will remember everything soon. Be safe," replied the voice.

Then the voice disappears. There is only silence. Gene looks at me. There is concern in his face.

"Don't worry Gene. I follow her advice. I'll be careful. I know I'm a trouble magnet but I try to stay away from trouble," I said trying to reassure Gene.

He nods his head and we continue with our journey. We arrive at the gate of light. That's the name I have come up with I since it seems to be made of light.

"Here you are," said Gene.

I walk towards the gate.

"Tell that idiot scientist to hurry up and realize his feeling already," shouted Gene.

I turn back wanting to know what he has meant by those words. However I wake up and find myself staring at the ceiling of the hospital.

* * *

_I can't resist. I wanted Gene to appear in the story. So here he is. Will try and see if he can make another appearance :)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Training Time!**

The moment I open my eyes, I know that I am in the hospital. The ceiling of the hospital has been so easy to recognize since this is not the first time I've been here. For the last three years, I can only say that I'm prone to accident. My body feels heavy. I try to raise my hand only to realize that someone is clasping to my hand tightly. I turn my head to have a clearer view of who it was. I'm surprise to see that the hand belongs to Naru. He has fallen asleep on the chair while holding on to my hand. I realized that he has probably been waiting for me to wake up.

"Naru..." I tried to call his name.

Naru slowly stirs and opens his eyes. He blinks and realizes that I have awakened.

"Wait. Don't move. I'm going to call the doctor," he said.

The doctor and the nurse come to check on me. It turned out that I have been unconscious for three days. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with me. However the doctor wanted to monitor my condition. If no complications occur, I will be allowed to leave the hospital on the next day after tomorrow. Once the doctor finished with the diagnosed, they left the room, leaving me alone with Naru who is beginning to look angry.

"So. Is there anything you want to tell me? Like when you are able to use PK?" questioned Naru.

"Well... I can use PK since three years ago," I answered.

"And how did you know that the spell to destroy the contract will only work if I do it?" asked Naru again.

" Oh that. I have a dream before we went looking for the contract," I said.

"And you didn't tell us about it before we started looking for that dreaded thing?"

This is definitely the first time I have seen Naru so angry.

"I don't understand what it means at first. Aya said that only the person who has experienced death can do it. I only remember at the very last minute that you have psychometrist. Besides you were so busy instructing us on what to do. I didn't even have a chance to say anything,"

I try to defend myself. Naru can only let out a sigh. He is about to say something when the door bursts open revealing the rest of the gang.

"Mai, I'm so glad you are alright," said Ayako.

"You give us a fright there when you suddenly collapsed," added Bou-san.

Everyone is making a fuss over me. Naru remains silent. His cold emotionless expression is back on his face. I want to know what has happened with our case at the white mansion after I become unconscious. John informs me that the creature is finally gone and Mr. Fujiwara's family is finally able to start living in the mansion without any supernatural disturbances. Masako also tells me that once the contract is destroyed, the wandering spirits in the mansion have been set free and they no longer haunt the mansion. Once they are done, it was their turn to ask me questions. I told them about the dreams except for my experience at the astral plain, my meeting with Gene and what the beautiful voice had told me. Those are my private moments and I don't want them to worry about me. I also do not want Naru to be sad if I mention Gene's name. However I also apologize to them about hiding my PK power. They stay there for half an hour before excusing themselves. All of them have things to attend to and apologize for not being able to accompany me. Once they are gone, I'm left with Naru and Lin. I look at them, wondering what they are going to say. It is Lin who breaks the silence.

"Mai-chan. What had happened at the mansion is very dangerous. You could have lost your life if you use too much of your power. It seems like you are still not familiar about using your power."

"I don't really know how to train my power. I only know that I can use my power if I calm down and concentrate," I said to Lin.

"Yes. That is why Naru has decided that you need training. I will help you to train your power. At the same time we will need to do research in order to understand the extent of your power," explained Lin.

I nod my head as a sign of agreement. This time, Naru has something to say.

"Is there anything else that you can do, that we do not know yet?"

"Well, I can hear ghosts. You know that ghost will only appear and say things when they wanted to, right? Well my ability is different. I can hear them even when they don't want to do it willingly. Not just what they are saying but what they are thinking too," I replied.

"I see. Okay. We will start the training, once you are out of the hospital. I do not want your stupidity to be the cost of your life. I can't believe you have that kind of power with your IQ," said Naru sarcastically.

" Well I'm sorry that I'm not as genius as you are Naru," I retorted angrily.

"I'm going to take my leave now. I need to report what happened to Dr. Davis. He will want to know about you, Mai. He has been very interested in you. He wants to come to Japan in order to meet you but he has too much work in England. Well, if you will excuse me," said Lin.

I stare at Naru and said, "Aren't you leaving too?"

He looks at me with a bored face and said, "The rest have works to do so they asked me if I can accompany you. I'll stay here until Ayako can come and take care of you."

"Geez, you don't need to. Tell Ayako that she doesn't have to do that either. I'm not a five year old kid," I replied.

"Patient do not have the right to complain. Just get your rest already," said Naru with a finality in his voice.

That has done it. I'm stuck with Naru in the hospital for the next five hours. Luckily I'm feeling tired. Although I have been unconscious for three days, apparently I still need to sleep. If I don't fall asleep, I have no idea how to deal with Naru. It's not like I can have a normal conversation with him without getting angry every once in a while with his sarcastic remark. Since I'm going to start training soon, I will need all the rest I can get. I fall asleep, this time without having any dreams.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Missing memory**

While I was in the hospital, Yasu kept his promise and brought me information about Aya Higuchi. My intuition has been accurate. We are related. Aya turned out to be my great-grandmother. Yasu did a wonderful job in investigating. He even went as far as tracing back Aya's great grandfather's history. He said that he was not surprise to find out that Aya and Aki had psychic power. There are possibilities that the rest of the family members may have them too.

It seems like my family members are closely related to religious occupation. Aya's great grandfather was a head priest in one of the shrines in Kyoto. He had two children in which one of them inherited the title. Aya's father was the third generation in the family but he did not inherit the title. He did however marry a miko and they had three children; two sons by the name of Yuki and Aki and of course a daughter by the name of Aya. Aya was the last surviving members of the Higuchi family. She got married and changed her surname into Kanzaki. The marriage gave her two children, a son by the name of Shigure and my mother, Tohru.

When I was reading the information, I have a flashback of three adults looking at a baby. However when I try to remember more, I got a splitting headache. Something is preventing me from remembering. I know that I become an orphan at the age of eight years old. Strangely enough, I don't seem to have the memory of what had happened to me before that. All this time I presume that I don't remember because I was too young at the time of my parents' death. It turned out that I lost my family in a car accident. In fact, I was there too. There were four people in the car. My parents, Uncle Shigure and me. A lorry had lost control and bumped into my parents' car. I was the only one who had survived the crash. Uncle Shigure had never married and both my parents don't have any other relatives either. So I am alone in this world.

"Mai, focus!"

Lin's voice jolted me back to reality. Right, I forget. I'm currently training under Lin. He is teaching me Qigong, a method to control my power. Naru has somehow managed to get permission from my university to use the facilities. I am allowed to do my training at the sport hall when there is nobody around. The laboratory is used to test my power. Previously, Naru got me hooked up into some kinds of machine. He asked me to move small objects. I'm not sure what the machine does. I'm guessing that it is used to measure my power.

"Okay. I think that is enough for today," instructed Lin.

Phew. That is tiring. However I have to admit, I have improved. Before the training, I just use my power without thinking. As a result, I felt tired easily as I had used too much energy. Now I can guess how much energy is needed to perform certain tasks. However, I still lost control every once in a while. Lin gives me a bottle of water. At that moment I remember the warning about staying low by not using my power. According to the beautiful voice, somebody has noticed me when I had used my power to save Naru. Perhaps at that time, I had used too much of my power. I begin to wonder if it is possible for me to conceal my power.

"Hey Lin. Is it possible for someone or maybe a ghost to detect a person who has psychic power without actually seeing that person used his or her power?" I asked.

"It is possible. You see we releases energy when we used our power. If they can feel the energy flow, they will know that we have the ability," replied Lin.

"Is it possible for us to conceal our ability? Meaning we can use our power but at the same time hide the energy flow?" I asked again.

"Yes. Why are you interested in this topic?" questioned Lin.

"Well at the White Mansion, Masako said that Mr. Kamui managed to conceal his aura. I think it will be useful to learn that skill. It will be dangerous if the ghosts know and try to harm me," I answered.

"Well in order to conceal our energy flow, we must first understand our aura. If you don't mind, let me read your aura first," said Lin.

Lin puts his hand on my head and begins his reading. After a while he frowns and then looks at me.

"This is strange. I can't read your aura. There's some kind of shield in you, Mai. Not only that, it seems like the shield is also preventing you from remembering something," said Lin.

At that time I remembered what the voice had said. In time, I will remember everything. I try to put a confuse expression on my face. Lin seems to be convinced that I do not know anything.

"I will try to find more information and see if I can lift the shield ..."

Before Lin can finish his words, Naru suddenly makes his entrance.

"We need to postpone the training. We have a new case to solve," said Naru.

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. I been a bit busy at my work place. Enjoy the latest chapter :)_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 3: Haunted Ryokan (Part 1)  
**

Our next case is a haunted ryokan in Kyoto. The ryokan has only been opened to the public last month and already there has been a few supernatural disturbances. The temperature of the room will drop to the point that you can see your own breath, bloodied letters telling the people to get out will appear on the surface of the windows and worse the cases of visitors being pushed from the stairs or almost drown when something drag them while they are in the hot spring. Luckily, no death has occurred yet. Words about the ryokan being haunted has been circulated in the internet. Instead of pushing away the customers, people have been curious and continue coming. However Mr. Kinomoto, the owner of the ryokan is afraid that the disturbances might escalate and endanger the customers' life. So he has asked for help from the monk, priest and priestess. Unfortunately nothing work. Finally he has heard about SPR and contacted us. We are currently on the way to Kyoto. Luckily, I'm on semester break from the university so I am able to tag along. Since the case is in Kyoto, I might be able to visit the shrine where Aya's great-grandfather used to work. Well, getting permission from Naru might be a bit difficult. He might not allow me to go for a little sightseeing while we have a case on our hand. But it doesn't hurt to try your luck. It's better to ask him while we are still on the way to the ryokan rather than when we have arrived there.

"Hmm.. Naru. Can I ask you something?" I asked nervously.

Naru looks at me with the same emotionless expression and said, "What is it?"

"This is my first time in Kyoto. So will it be okay for me to take a look around?" I said.

"Mai. We are here to work not to have fun," replied Naru.

Well, his order is absolute. I can't do anything now. Our arrival at the ryokan received a warm welcome from Mr. Kinomoto. The ryokan is still brand new, so it is probably haunted because of the site. Mr. Kinomoto has provided us with three rooms, two as our bedrooms and another one as our base. Since he seems to be busy, Naru told us to pack out the equipments later and let Mr. Kinomoto showed us the way around the ryokan first. When I first entered the ryokan, I get the feeling that someone is watching me. However I shook that feeling away as the ryokan is filled with customers. Whoever is watching me is probably just curious. Once we know our rooms, I went out to the van with Yasu.

"Hey Mai. I know you want to go and visit the shrine in Kyoto. You can just leave later when Naru is holding the interview," said Yasu.

"Huh? But I need to jolt down what they were saying. I can't leave. Naru will be angry," I said, surprise at Yasu's suggestion.

"I will do that so Naru won't get angry if there is someone to cover your job. Besides, I have already investigated the history of this place. So I'm quite free at the moment," replied Yasu kindly.

"Thanks Yasu! You are the best!" I chirped happily.

"No problem. Let's hurry up and set up everything so you can leave immediately," answered Yasu.

It took me thirty minutes to settle everything. Once I'm done, I quickly drive to towards the shrine. The shrine is situated in the central of Kyoto. It is not that far from the ryokan. I manage to locate the shrine almost immediately. It is not that difficult since it is one of the tourist attractions in Kyoto. According to the pamphlet, the shrine has been built 150 years ago. I was walking at one of the sections in the shrine when I saw the apparition of a golden dragon. It emerges and disappears as quickly as it has come. I'm not sure if it is a vision. I was too stunned and said it out loud.

"Huh? A golden dragon?"

"Oh,my! It's rare for young people to know about Ouryu."

Surprise, I turned around and see an old man, dressed in a priest outfit. Despite being old, he has the kindest brown eyes. I must have looked confused because the priest smiles and continues to explain.

"In the old days when Kyoto is the capital of Japan, it is believed that there are four beasts who help to guard Kyoto. Seiryuu, the Azure dragon guards the East, Suzaku, the vermillion bird guards the south, Byakko, the white tiger guard the west and Genbu, the black tortoise guard the east. However not many people know that there is another beast who guard Kyoto and that is Ouryu, the golden dragon who guards the central of Kyoto. According to legend, Kyoto lost its glory days because the places that houses these beasts have been destroyed. However, Kyoto is not totally destroyed because one of the priestess manages to save Ouryu's resting place. So with the existence of Kyoto, Japan is still able to survive till the present day".

"So, this shrine is Ouryu's resting place?" I asked.

"A physical place is not necessarily a resting place. Ouryu can co-exist if the heart of the heir is true," said the priest with a smile.

I want to ask more questions to the priest but a young boy distract my attention. He had been running around and accidentally fell. I help him up and after making sure that the young boy is fine, I turned towards the priest. However he is no longer there. I try to find the priest but then I realize that the day is getting darker. I decided to return to the ryokan. Perhaps I can come later and talk to the priest again.

Naru seems to be in a bad mood over my disappearance but he does not yell at me. Instead he tells me to ask Yasu about what had happened to understand the progress of the case. Yasu graciously informs me about the interviews and the result of his investigation. Everybody has been saying the same things about the temperature and the bloodied letters on the window. As for the history of the place, the last owner was an old general who had fought in World War II. No history of violence has occurred in the place. The general had lived there with his son and the granddaughter of his younger brother. The son died of illness when he was only 23 years old. The general on the other hand died 10 years later. The granddaughter of his younger brother on the other hand got married and is currently living not very far from the ryokan. She put up the place for sale and Mr. Kinomoto finally bought it from her about three years ago. Mr. Kinomoto then decided to destroy the old house and turned it into a ryokan after discovering the hot water spring there.

"Well, Naru suggests that we will interview Mrs. Kimura. She's the granddaughter of the general's brother. However she is away at the moment and will only return to Kyoto in the next two days," Yasu said.

Once Yasu is done with his report, its Naru's turn to order me around. After requesting his usual tea, I am allowed to return to my bedroom to rest. I am walking in the hallway when I feel the temperature is getting colder. Before I can do anything, I suddenly found myself in the midair. An invisible force is choking me. I couldn't even yell for help. I try to use my power but it is difficult to remain calm and focus when you find it difficult to breathe. As I am struggling to free myself, I heard a male voice.

"It's you! It's your fault. Why did you return here?"

I'm slowly losing my consciousness. How do I escape from this situation?

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. Trying to find material for the next case. Of course, once again Mai will discover more about her family's legacy.  
_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Haunted Ryokan (Part 2)**

I know that I am in big trouble. I can't escape from the clutch of the ghost. Is this the end? Just when I thought that I will die, I heard a shout. The ghost lets go of me and I found myself falling to the ground. I close my eyes, waiting for the impact. It never came. Instead of the hard surface of the ground, I landed softly on someone's arm who turned out to be Naru. Naru didn't say anything and carry me in a princess style, all the way to the base. I was too weak to protest. Everyone is still at the base, even Mr. Kinomoto who has probably decided to stop by and see how we are doing. The sight of Naru carrying me has caught them by surprise. Yasu recovered faster than the others, he is grinning and about to crack a joke about it. However Naru beats him to it.

"A ghost attack Mai. It lifted her midair and tried to strangle her."

Ayako-san immediately steps forward to check my condition. Mr. Kinomoto seems shock and confused. This is probably the first time the ghost has ever done such a thing. Ayako-san confirms that I am fine, aside from the shock and the strangulation mark on my neck.

"Mr. Kinomoto, has this ever happen to the customers before?" asked Naru.

"No, this is the first time. It has never attacked a customer so openly before," said Mr. Kinomoto.

Naru sighs and turns to me, "Mai, care to explain what happen?"

I told them what happened, including what the ghost said to me as it tried to strangle me to death.

"Somehow our ghost has taken a liking to Mai. Why do you always seem to attract trouble? From now on, make sure you are never alone," said Naru.

I just nodded. I am actually hurt by his remark about me attracting trouble. It's not like I wanted it to happen. I asked permission to return to my room in order to get some rest. Masako-chan volunteered to accompany me. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep and start dreaming.

I am in a bedroom. Looking at the interior, I'm probably in the 60's era. A young man is sitting on a table, writing a letter. There is also a bouquet of roses on the table. I studied the young man. He is quite good looking. He has raven black hair, dark hazel eyes and a dimple in his cheek. As he is writing the letter, there this dreamy looks on his face. I recognize that expression almost immediately. It is the face of someone who is deeply in love. I want to read what he has written on the letter but the scene changes again. This time I am in the living room. The same young man is arguing with an older man.

"I do not want you to associate with that young lady any more. She is not suitable for you," said the old man.

"But father. I love her!" protested the young man.

Looking at the situation, I can guess that the old man is the father of the young man and he is definitely not happy with his son's choice for his future wife. I take a closer look at my surroundings. Hmm... It seems like the young man belonged to a rich family. This probably means that the girl that he likes is probably not of the same status. Based on the argument, I found out that the young man name is Yusuke. Before I can get more information, another change of scene occurred. I'm back in Yusuke's room. This time, Yusuke is lying on the bed. He looks extremely ill. A doctor is also there, talking to Yusuke's father.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hajime. I've done all I can. Now it is up to Yusuke's will to survive," said the doctor.

At that time, Yusuke started to mumble something. Mr. Hajime comes closer to the bed, trying to listen to what he is saying.

"I'm sorry hime. We can't be together."

Those are his last word. Then he is gone. Mr. Hajime broke down, crying, calling for his son to return. My dream ends there. Something has forced me to wake up from my slumber. Something that feels terribly cold as well as the feeling of a sharp pain at my legs. When I opened my eyes, I'm dangling upside down above the ground. Masako on the other hand is shouting for help as she helplessly tries to get me down.

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_Sorry for the late update. I've been busy. Thank you for all the positive reviews that I have been getting from all of you. Will try my best to update the story more often_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Haunted ryokan (Part 3)**

Hanging upside down is definitely no fun at all. I try to struggle but it is difficult when you cannot see your opponent. The ghost is still hiding its true form and attack me by being invisible. Luckily I'm hanging above my bed. So I started chanting the nine cut spell that Ayako-san has taught me. The ghost cries out in pain and releases me. I fall down, safely on the bed. At that moment, the rest of the gang has rushed to my room. Probably thinking that there are too many people in the room, the ghost decides to retreat. The temperature of the room immediately returns to normal.

"Ojou-san, are you alright?" asked Boa-san.

"How can she be alright, you moron! She just got attacked twice by the ghost," yelled Ayako-san.

I reassured them that I'm fine and there is no need for both of them to quarrel. I told them about the dream that I had before the ghost attacked me.

"Yusuke and Mr. Hajime. Those are the names of the previous people who last live in this place. Maybe the ghost that attack Mai is Yusuke. He is probably angry because he can never be together with his lover so he decided to take Mai as a replacement," assumed Yasu.

"This is the first time though that the ghost has targeted a specific person. Why Mai of all people?" questioned Lin.

"We will need more information in order to cleanse the spirit. Mrs. Kimura who used to live here with the Hajime family will be arriving at 5pm today. There is nothing that we can do but to wait for her. Mai, I remember that you wanted to visit Kyoto. Did you manage to visit all the places yesterday?" asked Naru.

I look at the clock. So it is already the next day. Well at least the ghost allowed me to sleep at night before attacking me this early.

"Not really," I replied.

"Then why don't you go and visit the places. However make sure you arrived here before 5pm," instructed Naru.

My mood is lifted. I can go back to the shrine and maybe try to find the old priest and asked him more questions about the Higuchi family. It didn't take me long to get the car key and drive to the shrine. The rest of the gang had been to Kyoto before so they don't feel like going. Boa-san did volunteer to accompany me but Naru said that he needed to discuss something with him. I don't really mind going alone. In fact I prefer to be alone. If the others were to follow, they will ask a lot of questions like why I'm so obsessed to know about the Higuchi's family.

Once I arrived at the shrine, I start to visit the place that I haven't seen yet and at the same time keeping an eye for the old priest. I meet a few priests and priestess but not the one who had spoken to me the other day. At last, I approach one of them and ask them about him. However none of them seem to recognize him. Then they took me to the place where they hung the picture of the previous and current priests. I immediately point out to the picture of the old priest.

"That can't be right my child. That is previous head priest, Kazuma Higuchi. He had been dead for years," replied the priest.

"What? Kazuma Higuchi? Is he the descendant of the Higuchi family who used to serve this shrine?" I asked.

"Yes. Kazuma Higuchi is the first generation of the Higuchi family. Their service ended with the third generation," answered the priest.

I express my thank to the priest. I'm feeling a bit confuse now. So if Kazuma Higuchi had died years ago, the one who had spoken to her must have been his spirit. Kazuma Higuchi is Aya's great grandfather, meaning he is my ancestor. At that moment, I have a vision or perhaps its better to say flashes of the past. I see my younger self, probably around 5 years old, with my mother in a garden. My 5 years old self is standing still and to my surprise is forming an orb of light from my hand. The light disappears and my 5 years old self turns her gaze at my mother with delight.

"I did it mommy!" said my 5 years old self.

"Well done, Mai-chan. I'm proud of you. However, you need to practice harder," replied my mother with a smile.

The vision stop, replaced with a sudden headache. I try to steady myself. The pain slowly disappears. The vision showed me that my mother is training me to use my power. So does that mean, I have power ever since I am small? Why can't I remember anything that had happened to me before my parents' death? I looked at the time. Mrs. Kimura will be arriving in the next 40 minutes. I better leave now if I wanted to be there on time. As I walk towards my car, I did not realize that someone is watching my every move from afar. That person is standing in the forest not far from the shrine. He is wearing a black t-shirt with black jeans. Except for the weird occult symbol on the shirt, there is nothing out of the ordinary about him.

With a fierce expression, he whispers to himself," I thought it will take me longer to locate the heir of Higuchi. I guess coming to the shrine is the right decision after all." His golden eyes shine with melancholy.

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_Hope you enjoy the latest chapter ^^_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Haunted ryokan (Part 4)**

For once I arrive quite early. Everyone is already at the base. Mrs. Kimura has not arrived yet. Sitting on the sofa, surrounded by my friends keep my mind at ease. Before I know it, I slowly drifted to dreamland. This time, the situation is slightly difference. Before this, I appeared in my dream wearing the clothes that I was wearing before I went to sleep. This time, I find myself wearing an old-fashioned dress. I'm sitting on a swing in an isolated garden.

"Hime!"

I turn around and see Yusuke coming out from the bushes. He smiles happily and comes towards me. I do not know why but I care for this man. In fact I love him. Wait! What? Why am I experiencing this emotion? Owh. This is new. Before this, I have only been a spectator in my dream. Watching the event unfold in front of me by the sideline. Now it seems like I have become one of the characters in the dream.

Yusuke takes a seat beside me on the swing. He holds my hand lovingly. I am happy to see him yet there is a tinge of sadness.

"Sorry for being late. I have to sneak out from my house. You know how my father is."

I said nothing and only nodded my head. Yusuke takes out something from his pocket. It is a beautiful sakura hair pin. He gently fastens it to my hair.

"Don't look so sad. I can't bear to see you sad. You know I love you. Even if my father is against our relationship, I will continue to persuade him to accept you. I don't care about status. You are my princess, my hime" he said softly.

I do not know why but I hug him. He only chuckles and returns my hug. Suddenly Yusuke disappears and I find myself sitting in the living room. Yusuke's father is in front of me, looking angry.

"You are not fit for my son. I have planned for him to marry with the daughter of Fujiwara's family. He will have a bright future. Don't you ruin it for him. I know that you only want him for his money." shouted Mr. Hajime.

"That is not true. I truly love him," I replied in tears.

"Then if you love him, please leave him. Do you think he can adapt himself to your lifestyle? He has never tasted difficulty before," said Mr. Hajime.

The dream ended there. Someone is shaking me, urging me to wake up. That someone turns out to be Masako.

"Sorry, Mai-chan. Can you make a cup of tea. Our guest will be arriving soon."

I nodded and walk towards the pantry to make the tea. By the time I returned back to base, Mrs. Kimura is already there. She looked really surprise when she saw me.

"Owh my! You resemble her too much," replied Mrs. Kimura.

"Who are you referring to Mrs. Kimura? Can you please tell us in more details?: asked Naru politely.

So Mr. Kimura begins to tell the story. At that time Mrs. Kimura was only ten years old. Her parents have passed and Mr. Hajime has been willing to take care of her because she is the granddaughter of his brother. Yusuke is studying law. He has been brilliant and his father has wanted him to be involved in politics. Yusuke's father has been very keen in marrying Yusuke to his best friend's daughter. He believes that the marriage will secure Yusuke's future since his best friend comes from the royal family. Yusuke has always been obedient and has never defied his father's order. However one day, a new family move to town. A young girl and her grandmother. Yusuke has fallen in love at first sight and for the first time, he decided to disobey his father's wishes. If the girl has come from an influential family, Mr. Hajime might have accepted their relationship. However the girl is an orphan. Although she does have some money which she inherited from her family, she does not possess any title nor does she come from royal blood. Mr. Hajime has forced the girl to leave Yusuke by threatening her that he will disown Yusuke. The girl loves Yusuke too much. She knows that Yusuke loves his father and will be sad if his father decided to disown him. Coming from a wealthy family, it will probably be difficult for Yusuke to get use to her lifestyle. So she leaves a letter to Yusuke and disappears. She moves away with her grandmother,never to return again to this place. Yusuke is heart-broken. He become depress and tries to find her. After two months, his health started to deteriorate. He suffers from pneumonia and at last passed away. Mr. Higuchi had changed since the death of his son. He dismisses all the servants, allowing only one to stay. He rejects any visitors who have come to see him. The only person who is allowed to see him has been Mrs. Kimura. He passed away five years after the death of Yusuke.

"So, the girl. Is her name Hime?" I asked timidly.

Mrs. Kimura seems surprise by my question and replied, "Hime is not her real name. It is just a name that Yusuke used to call her that because to him, she is his princess. Her real name is Aya Higuchi."

Everybody gasped to this revelation. This case is again related to my great grandmother.

"Well that explain why the ghost attacks Mai. She looks like Aya. I'm pretty sure our ghost is Yusuke who wants to be reunited with his lost lover," said Yasu confidently.

"Well I suppose we can now prepare the cleansing ceremony. You all know what to do," instructs Naru.

The rest quickly set to work. Naru thanks Mrs. Kimura and escorts her out from the base. Everyone seems confident that the ghost is Yusuke. However, I feel like something is missing. I'm not sure why but my instinct is telling me that our conclusion is wrong. Nonetheless, I help Masako and the rest with the preparation for the cleansing ceremony. We will be having the ceremony tonight.

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. I was on holiday for a week. Have fun reading the latest chapter_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 : Haunted Ryokan (Part 5)**

The preparation for the ceremony is completed. It will be conducted by Lin-san. I have witnessed the ceremony before. The onmyouji will summon the restless spirit and then cleanses the spirit from anger and grudge, allowing it to move on. However in order for the cleansing ceremony to be successful, the onmyouji must know the reason that causes the spirit to be restless and able to persuade it. That is why it is crucial to gather information. In the previous case, when the ceremony is successful, there will be a bright light indicating that the ghost has finally able to move on. I decide to use my hearing ability. I have always been curious to know what the spirit has to say when they are finally cleansed and able to move on.

Lin begins the ceremony. It doesn't take long for the temperature of the room to drop. I begin to shudder due to the chill. Naru who is standing near me must have felt sorry and slips his jacket on me. I want to thank him but he puts his finger on his lip, asking me to stay quiet. Lin-san begin his chanting. At that moment, I hear the voice of the spirit.

"No. This is her fault! If it wasn't for her, my son would not die. My Yusuke!"

My eyes widen with realization. The spirit has never been Yusuke. It has been his father, Mr. Hajime. He had blamed Aya for his son's death. His anger and bitterness towards Aya has stopped him from moving on after his death. Before I could yell out the warning, Mr. Hajime's spirit unleashes his forces. Lin and everyone else are knocked out by his power. Somehow, Mr. Hajime has become angrier and this causes his power to become stronger. He finally shows his true form. An old man with a stern face and angry eyes.

"You! It's your fault!" he shouted and pointed his hand towards me.

The next thing I know, I was lifted up and send flying towards the angry spirit. Mr. Hajime puts his hand over my neck and starts to choke me.

"Mai!" shouted Ayako-san.

"Damn it! I can't move! The ghost is paralyzing our movement" shouted Bou-san. It is true, nobody can move. They can only watch me helplessly. I try to free myself by struggling but his grip only becomes stronger. My movement starts to slow down. Is this it? Is this the end? I'm slowly losing my consciousness. However at that very brief moment, something from within me starts to shine brightly. It is so bright that I have to close my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, I'm sitting in a dark void. Right in front of me is a golden light in a shape of a dragon. I realize that this is the apparition of Ouryu. Ouryu doesn't give me time to wonder what happen. It starts to fly away and for some reasons I have a feeling that it wants me to follow it. There is nothing but darkness. Ouryu leads me out of the darkness, into a beautiful garden. The same garden where I have last seen Gene.

"Ouryu?" a voice suddenly appeared.

I turned around and find myself facing Aya Higuchi. She looked exactly like me except that her hair is longer. She is wearing a beautiful white dress.

"Oh my, you look like me. I suppose you are my descendant, " said Aya.

"I'm your great granddaughter," I replied.

"I see. If Ouryu is here, then it means that he has accepted you. However seeing that he has brought you here, I assume you are in some kinds of trouble," she asked.

"Well, the last thing I remember is that I was being strangled by Mr. Hajime," I said.

Aya's face immediately looks sad. She turns to Ouryu and put her hand on Ouryu's face. For some reason, I have a feeling that Ouryu is telling Aya something. Aya's face becomes sadder than before and she turns her gaze to me.

"Here, this should help," she said as she thrust something into my hand. It is the very same sakura hair pin that I have seen in my dream.

"I have a lot of things to ask you," I said.

"I'm sorry dear. Ouryu may have chosen you but he still think that you are not ready yet. Once you come to terms with your power, you will know everything," answered Aya.

"Then at least, can you tell me about Yusuke. Did you regret it? Having to leave him behind?" I pleaded.

"I regretted it. He is my first love. I suppose you know that I have the ability to see the future," asked Aya.

I nod and she continued, "All this time I thought that everything is destined. I cannot do anything to change the future. I was wrong. The future is not pre-determined, it can change through our action. If I have understood this sooner, perhaps I could have prevented the death of the innocent children at the mansion. Perhaps, Yusuke might have been able to lead a happier life."

"I don't understand. How is this related to Yusuke?" I asked.

"I have a dream. I saw Yusuke living a happy life with another girl. I decided to disappear without even discussing it with him. I suppose Mr. Hajime is right, it is my fault that he died," replied Aya sadly.

"It is not your fault. All your dream come true so it natural for you to think that way. Besides, Mr. Hajime has been opposing your relationship," I tried to console Aya.

"Yes, but if I have talked to him about it instead of disappearing suddenly, I might have given him a better closure. He might still be living," she said with a smile.

I couldn't think of anything to say to Aya. There is some truth in her words. Instead of discussing, she has made the decision alone and leave Yusuke hanging, continuously yearning for her. Ouryu suddenly makes a sound. A beautiful whistling sound. Then Ouryu suddenly disappears.

"I think you better go now. It is not good for you to stay here too long. Walk towards the East and you will find the gate," instructed Aya.

I start to walk towards the East. Before I go, I turn to Aya and ask her one final question.

"Aya, are you happy? I mean.. your life?"

"Yes. I met a good man. I fall in love for a second time. So dear, don't ever give up on love," replied Aya with a smile.

I continue with my journey. I walk through the gate and return to my reality. I'm still being strangled by Mr. Hajime's spirit. Everybody else are shouting my name. I suppose nobody notice what happen to me before and there is a possibility that my meeting with Aya has only happened when I blacked out for a while. I try to release Mr. Hajime's grip on my neck when I realize that I'm clutching something in my hand. The hair pin! I immediately toss the hair pin to Mr. Hajime's spirit. Mr. Hajime shouts in pain. A blue light slowly engulfs and from the hair pin, the spirit of Yusuke appears. No, not his spirit. More like his memory, his emotion and what he felt when he was still alive. There is happiness, sadness but never anger. Yusuke has never blamed his father for Aya's disappearance. He has loved his father just the same. At that moment I can hear Mr. Hajime's voice. His anger and grudge have disappeared. Instead, he realizes that all this time he has been angry at himself for not understanding his son. However his pride got in a way and he finds it easier to blame everything that had happened to Aya thus preventing him from moving on after his death and changing him into a restless spirit.

The light disappear together with Mr. Hajime's spirit. Without his hand on my neck, I fell down straight to the ground and everything becomes dark.

* * *

_Hullo! Hope you guys are having a good weekend. Here's the latest chapter.  
_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: A mysterious customer**

I wake up and immediately remember what had happened. I sigh to myself. Did I lose my consciousness again? How long have I been unconscious? I look at my surroundings. This is the room that I stayed at the ryokan. That's a good sign since I didn't wake up in a hospital. At that moment, Ayako appears.

"Mai! You're awake," said Ayako with relief.

"Hmm... how long have I been out this time?" I asked timidly.

"It has only been for three hours. You gave us quite a fright there when you become unconscious," said Ayako with a smirk.

The way Ayako's smirk means that something more had happened after I lost my consciousness.

"What is it? Did something else happen?" I asked.

Ayako's starts to grin and then laugh out loud.

"Oh, my! I can't help it. Naru managed to stop you from falling on the ground but when you won't wake up, he become frantic. It's the first time I have seen him that way. He even performs CPR before I finally knock some senses into him and giving me the time to check on your condition," replied Ayako amidst her laughter.

My face instantly becomes red. Naru performs CPR? That means his lip has touched mine. My first kiss!

At that moment, there is a knock at the door. Ayako stops laughing and opens the door. Mr. Kinomoto and the other SPR member are there to visit me. Everyone that is except for Naru and Lin.

"Where are Lin and Naru?" I asked the others.

"Well, just a while ago a man came and asked permission to talk to him. Seems like we will have another case after this," said Yasu.

"Really? Then I should be there. It's my job to take down details of the customer," I said feeling alarmed.

"Woah there Ojou-san. You just wake up. You need rest," protests Bou-san.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Come on, let's go to the base," I said cheerfully.

I thanks Mr. Kinomoto for his concern over my health then the rest of us head out to the base. When we arrived there, we saw the customer bowing to Lin and Naru. It seems like he has finished talking to them. The customer turns around to face us. He is wearing all black clothes. He has jet-black hair, a dimple at his left cheek and a startling pair of golden eyes. For an instant, feeling of uneasiness starts to spread within me. I do not know why but I can't seem to trust this man. The man smiles to us and give us a polite bow before moving towards the door.

"Wow, what a stud! I though Naru is handsome but that guy is even more handsome. Did you notice his eyes? He has golden eyes!" exclaimed Ayako.

"Yes, his eyes sure are unique," I said with an unsettling feeling.

"Hey there old hag! That guy is too young for you. He's the same age as Ojou-san," snickered Boa-san.

"Who are you calling old hag?" shouted Ayako.

"If you are going to start bickering, do it when you guys are not working. We need to start cleaning up. Our job is done here and we are returning home tomorrow," instructs Naru in a stern voice.

Ayako and Boa-san immediately stop. Somehow Naru seems to be in a very bad mood. The others quickly set to work and start to collect all of their equipment. The best way to deal with Naru when he is like this is to just follow his order. However I'm curious about the customer and gather my courage to ask Naru about him.

"Hey, Naru! The man just now, is he a new customer?" I asked.

"Yes, but I will tell you the details of the case once we have returned to our office," replied Naru without looking up at my face.

Is it just my imagination or is Naru refusing to meet me in the eyes. I continue to stand there and stare at him.

To my surprise, Naru's face becomes red. Yikes. Did I make him so angry to the point that his face flushes with anger?

"Mai instead of standing there uselessly and wasting your time, why don't you help the rest to pack the things," said Naru coldly.

I do not waste my time and start to help the others.

* * *

_The end of the case in ryokan. Yeap in case you are wondering, the customer is the same man who stirs from his meditation due to Mai's power and he is the same man who was watching Mai at the shrine. Who is he? Well, the mystery will be revealed in the next case. Sorry for the late update!_


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19: THE RETURN OF THE PAST  
**

I feel safe and warm. Somebody is hugging me tightly. I open my eyes and look up. I am in the arm of a beautiful lady. Wait, I know her. All this time I have yearned for her presence. I have been trying to remember her face all this time. How could I have forgotten? Mother, this is my mother. Tears start to trickle down to my cheek.

"What's wrong my little angel. Why are you crying?" asked mother.

Little angel? I blink my tears away and start to observe my surroundings. I look at the mirror in the room and realize that I am just a little girl. Maybe around four or five years old. Am I dreaming? No... This is not a dream. This is a memory. A memory from the past.

"Did you have a bad dream? Well maybe a story will cheer you up," said mother with a smile.

My mother tells me a story about the sacred beasts and its connection with the old kingdom. The old kingdom was constantly threatened by enemy and dark magic. In order to have peace, the Emperor seeks the help of the five sacred beasts; Genbu, Suzaku, Byakko, Seiryuu and Ouryu. The sacred beasts are creature from another world. They are not suppose to be in the human world. However they can see that the Emperor is a good man and decided to help. In order for the five sacred beasts to use their power here, they need a medium. Thus five members from the royal family were chosen to be their medium. So a promise is created between them. The five members will be able to use the sacred beasts' power to protect the kingdom while the beasts will be able to exist in our world by sharing the body of the medium.

"Sharing the body of the medium. You mean they possessed the medium's body?" I asked.

"No, my dear. Possession means they take control of the medium's body. The sacred beasts simply reside in their body," answered my mother.

"So there is no side effect?" I continued to ask.

"Well by residing in their body, the sacred beasts fate is connected with the medium. If anything happens to the medium they will feel it too," explained my mother.

"So if the medium dies, they will die too?"

"Yes unless the medium has already named the next heir. So if the medium die, the sacred beast will go to the next heir. The same goes for the medium. If the beasts are taken away from them by force, they will die too."

"Is that even possible? I mean to take the beast away by force?"

" Well the sacred beasts are somehow connected to the sun. They become weak during solar eclipse which make it possible for strong dark magic to steal the sacred beasts from the medium."

"Has anybody ever try to do that?"

My mother suddenly looks sad. In fact she is on a verge of tears.

"Yes, my dear. Somebody really evil managed to do it. He stole Genbu, Suzaku, Byakko and Seiryuu, thus killing the four mediums. Fortunately, the last medium managed to sealed him away before he succeeded in stealing Ouryu."

I wait for my mother to continue her story but somebody else enters the room. It took me a while to recognize him. I can't believe I have forgotten him too. Father! My body just moves on its own and I find myself hugging him. My father laughs and picks me up.

"You are getting heavier, Mai. Soon I won't even be able to carry you. By the way, your uncle is here. Let's go and greet him," said my father.

He takes me to the living room. Mother follows us from behind. My memory is slowly returning as I am able to recognize the house, my old home before I become an orphan. Uncle Shigure is waiting for us. I still can't remember much but I know I have affection for this man too. Uncle Shigure greets my mother before returning his attention to me.

"Well, princess. Are you ready for your training?" he asked with a smile.

I shyly nod my head. Both my parents and Uncle Shigure take me to the garden. It turned out that Uncle Shigure is my teacher while my parent just sit there to watch my training. The training is more like a concentration training. Uncle Shigure tells me to clear my mind and focus. After a while, golden lights start to shimmer around me.

"Mother, look!" I said with excitement.

Suddenly a strong wind appears out of nowhere. Uncle Shigure and mother start to look uneasy.

"Shigure, is that..."

Mother could not finish her sentence. Uncle Shigure quickly grabs me and hand me to mother.

"Kyo! Get the car. We need to get out from here," said Uncle Shigure to my father.

Soon all of us are in the car. I don't understand what is happening. Father is the one who is driving the car. Uncle Shigure is sitting next to him while my mother and I take the back seat. Mother continues to hug me, whispering incantations non-stop. The car is passing the bridge when I felt uneasy. Something dark is approaching us. Something evil. My head starts to spin and I can't breathe. My mother noticed the change in me.

"Shigure, something is happening to Mai!" she shouted in panic.

Before Uncle Shigure can say anything, something like a dark blanket appear and surrounded the car. Father shouts in surprise as he could no longer see the road. My headache is getting worse. I scream in pain and then everything becomes dark...


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: THE GOLDEN EYES CLIENT**

"Mai! Mai! Wake up!"

Naru's voice jolted me back to reality. I open my eyes to see my boss standing there. He doesn't look too happy. Looks like he is going to say something sarcastic to me about him paying me to do work and not to sleep. However it didn't come.

"You were crying in your sleep," said Naru.

I did? I touch my face. I guess I did. Naru is still staring at me with that same unhappy expression. I guess he is not mad. Perhaps, he is just worried about me.

"Umm.. I was having a nightmare," I replied.

Naru's face return to his usual stoic expression. He hands me a piece of tissue and said, "Well the others are coming. I'm going to brief all of you about our latest client. So go and prepare tea for the meeting."

20 minutes later, everyone including Yasuhara has gathered there.

"Our next client is Gin Ichimaru. He has just inherited his grandfather's mansion and is planning to live there. However supernatural activities are said to be happening there. According to the client, strange sounds can be heard at night. Strange apparitions are said to have appeared as well. The client also claimed that he will suddenly find himself in another room as if something had transported him there," explained Naru.

"So when are we going to the mansion?" asked Bou-san.

"Well, we can only go there on the 22nd. The client specifically asked us to go there on that date as he has some business to do," said Naru.

"What? On the 22nd? Is it ok if I didn't come to the site? I can do the research for you from afar and inform you via call," asked Yasuhara.

"Oh, do you have anything to do on that day?" I asked curiously. Yasuhara is always the type to get excited about new cases. It is weird for him to ask to be excused this time.

"Well, the solar eclipse will happen on the 23th. I already promised my friends that we will go to watch it," replied Yasuhara.

"Solar eclipse seldom happen, right? If I'm not mistaken the solar eclipse this time is special," said Bou-san.

"Yeap. Aside from the solar eclipse, it is said that all the planets will be aligned in one straight line," chirped Yasuhara happily.

I feel uneasy upon hearing the word solar eclipse. I'm not the only one. I noticed that even Lin-san seems a bit uneasy.

"What is it Lin?" asked Naru who has noticed something is off too bout Lin.

"It's nothing. I just remember some old tales that my grandfather used to tell me," replied Lin.

"What kind of story?" asked Ayako.

"Well it is said that when all the planets are aligned, a great darkness will fall on Planet Earth. When that happened, dark magic and evil spirits will become extremely strong at that moment," answered Lin.

"And what a coincidence that we have a case at that time. Is this some kinds of bad omen? Should we just make a request to the client to get the investigation done after the date?" said Bou-san uneasily.

"Like Lin said, it is just an old tale. Well, that is the end of our meeting. Please be prepare for our new case,"replied Naru.

Well I hope you are right, Naru. We still have ten more days. I guess I should focus on my training to strengthen my power.

* * *

Well... this chapter is kindda short. As you can see Mai is slowly regaining her memory. Everything about her past will be revealed in this case. The final battle is approaching!


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21: THE ACCEPTANCE**

I am standing in a dark void. No matter where I look, there is only darkness. I have no idea how I get here. The last thing I remember is that I am feeling so tired after the training and decided to take a break on the sofa. I guess I must have fallen asleep and currently in my dream. However this place does not feel like the astral plane. It does not seems like a vision as well because nothing has appeared. As I am standing there wondering what to do, a beautiful whistle can be heard and Ouryu makes his appearance.

"Ouryu? Is this your doing?" I asked and immediately felt foolish. As far as I can remember, Ouryu has never spoken. The only sound I ever heard from him is that beautiful whistling sound. However to my surprise, Ouryu speaks. His voice is just as beautiful, sweet and yet powerful.

"What is your true desire, Mai? The last heir to the Higuchi family," said Ouryu.

Ouryu's question confuses me. My true desire? How should I answer that question. There are a lot of things that I want from this world. I am no angel. I'm just a human after all.

Ouryu speaks again, "Close your eyes, give me permission to see your heart."

I obey and I feel the strangest sensation. I realize that Ouryu is inside of me, assessing my heart. Then, I feel him leaving my body and I open my eyes again.

"Your true desire usually reflects your biggest weakness. However it can also be your strength. I'm pleased with you, child. You are qualified to have me," said Ouryu.

Upon hearing Ouryu's acceptance, something else happens to me. I can feel a warm strength flowing from within me.

"Child, I see that your mother had put a charm on you. A charm that block your memory. You have gained some of them but there are still things that you do not know yet. You are ready to know the truth now. Do you want me to remove it from you?" asks Ouryu.

'The truth? Am I strong enough for it?" I asked.

Then suddenly that beautiful voice that has always been calling out for me appears again. This time I know whose voice it is. It has been my mother's voice.

"You are ready now, darling."

I nod as a sign of my agreement and Ouryu starts to shine. Memories that have been shielded from me return and I am transported to watch what really happen at the time when I was trapped in the car with my parent and Uncle Shigure.

The darkness circles the car and immediately starts closing in. Uncle Shigure reacts by chanting a spell and put a protective shield around the four of us.

"I can't keep the protective shield forever. Sooner or later I will run out of energy. He had planned well. He attacks us during the solar eclipse. He knows that Ouryu will not be able to use his full power," replied Uncle Shigure in distress.

"What is this darkness?" asked my father.

"It's an ancient spell. It will immobilize its victims and at the same time informs the spell caster about our whereabouts. I manage to stop it from giving out our location with the protective shield. However once the shield disappeared, he will know where we are," answered Uncle Shigure

My father shuts the car engine. He knows that he can't do anything anymore. We are trapped. He unbuckles the belt and slowly moves to the back seat. He takes my mother's hand and gives her a reassuring squeeze. He is probably trying to calm my mother. He gently pat my head... well my younger self's head. I'm currently watching the event as a spectator.

"Shigure, how long can you put up the shield?" asked my father.

"Only for another one hour," replied Uncle Shigure.

"I don't have special power like you or Tohru. However I can buy you some times. Do you think you have enough energy to create illusion and use it on me?"

My mother immediately understood what my father is trying to do.

"No, no! It's too dangerous. If he finds you, he will kill you," cried mother.

"It's the only way, Tohru. If Shigure can create the illusion to make me looks like him, I can get out from the car and run to distract the spell from you. You will have time to escape," said father.

Mother starts to cry. My younger self follows suit. Uncle Shigure seems to be thinking about my father's plan.

" It's the only way. However, you will not go alone. I will disguise you as Tohru. The two of us will run away from the car. Hopefully it will work. Tohru, please take the wheel. Don't worry. I will try to protect Kyo," said Uncle Shigure.

Mother reluctantly takes the front seat. Uncle Shigure moves to the back seat and my younger self takes his seat, my mother. Uncle Shigure sets to work. Father looks just like mother. My younger self does not find the situation odd. My memory reminds me that I have seen my uncle do it quite often during our training. Mother has already started the engine. The two of them immediately get out from the car and the black cloud goes after them. Mother takes this opportunity to drive the car away.

However not even a few minutes later, something causes the car engine to stop working. My mother frantically tries to start the engine but to no avail. Suddenly there is a loud thud and something crash into our window shield. That something turns out to be my father and Uncle Shigure. Their body is covered in blood and they are no longer moving. My younger self starts to cry. My mother knows that the plan has failed, both her brother and husband gone from this world. The spell caster has arrived to finish his work. My mother immediately picks me up and embraces me.

"Mai, listen! I am going to use a forbidden spell. This spell will protect you and at the same time cause great casualty to the person who tries to hurt you. However, this spell will use all of my life force. I won't be able to be with you any more, my dear." said my mother with tears in her eyes.

"No, I don't want to be alone! I want to be with you."

My mother hugs me and continues, "Darling, we will never go away. We will remain in your memory. You won't be alone. Ouryu will be with you and you will meet new friends in the future."

"No, No! I don't want new friend."

"I want you to be happy, honey. I will take away all the bad memories. When the time is right, you will remember everything. Be brave, my little one," and she begins to chant the spell.

I see my younger self getting drowsy and fells asleep. Lights start to shimmer around my mother's body. She grows weaker as the spell continues and at last becomes lifeless upon completing the last syllabus of the spell. Outside of the car, a man dressed in black is approaching the car. With inhuman strength, he pushes the car towards the river. As the car falls towards the watery grave, he starts to laugh. However the laughter turns into a shriek of pain as the man find himself being enveloped in bright light and Ouryu takes me back to the dark void.

"Child, are you alright?" asks Ouryu with concern.

I cannot answer him. How can I be alright after witnessing the murder of my family members.

"Mai, you need to be strong. The spell did not kill him. It only weaken him, forcing him to hide himself in order to retain his power," my mother's voice appears again.

I nod my head and wipe my tears away. I realize that all this time, my mother's spirit has been watching over me.

"Mother, I will take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me. Please rest now," I said.

With that,my mother disappears. I can feel her presence going away. My mother can finally go and be with my father and Uncle Shigure.

I turn to Ouryu, "Can you explain me about the person who attack us at that time?"

"A long time ago, he is the person who try to steal our power. He managed to take away my brother and sister, killing the other medium. He would have done the same to me but my medium managed to stop him and trapped him with a spell. However the spell grew weaker and he managed to escape," replied Ouryu.

"Will he be coming after me too?"

"He will for he wanted my power to finish the thing that he had started. Mai, you have my acceptance now. You can now use my power. Learn how to use it wisely," said Ouryu.

* * *

Hey! Sorry for the late update. Enjoy the latest chapter!


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22 - SPIRIT GUIDE**

"Mai, stop daydreaming and get to work!" Naru's clear voice snapped me back to reality. I quickly apologized and try to focus on my work. Today is the day that we will be going to the house of our latest client. Tomorrow is the solar eclipse. Ouryu will not be able to channel all his power to me. I can't help but feel worried upon remembering my last conversation with Ouryu after I received his power.

"You can use my power now but you don't have enough time to learn the spells. You did not go through the training that the Higuchi's heir usually go through," said Ouryu.

My heart sank upon hearing this. Even if I have Ouryu's power, it will be useless because I did not know how to use them.

"Don't worry, child. Even if you did not learn the spells, my power can at least help you when you used your PK. Now you won't face the danger of dying when you used it."

"But Ouryu, the solar eclipse is approaching You won't be able to channel your power to me on that day. What if Kuroki decided to attack me on that day," I voiced out my anxiety to Ouryu. I have learned the name of my enemy. Kuroki Kaze, a sorcerer who wanted to control the world by having the power of the five sacred beasts. He managed to steal four of them, which allow him to live longer than ordinary human. If he managed to steal Ouryu too, then he will be invisible and become an immortal.

"I fear that he will try, my dear. However, in order to force me out of your body is not easy. It involved an ancient spell and in order for the spell to work, the caster must make sure that the victim submit to their greatest fear. Tohru's greatest fear is losing her family. That is why he killed your father and her brother in front of her eyes. If he had succeeded in killing you, Tohru will probably submitted to her fear thus allowing Kuroki to extract me from her body. However, he miscalculated. He never thought that your mother is willing to sacrifice herself by reciting the forbidden spell in order to save you," explained Ouryu.

Ouryu's explanation only escalated my anxiety. What is my greatest fear? I'm afraid of many things. Ouryu must have sense my anxiety because he spoke once again.

"Do not worry, my dear. I have seen your heart. I'm sure you will not submit to your greatest fear easily. However, as you mention before I won't be able to channel my power properly on that day. So, I'm going to perform a spell that will open a temporary connection between you and your spirit guide. I believe that he will be able to support you in times of trouble," replied Ouryu.

Ouryu starts shimmering and the dark void is filled with bright light. Once the light subdue, a boy is standing next to me.

"Gene!" I shouted joyfully and give him a hug.

Gene seems startled. However, he smiles and returns my hug.

"What is going on here? Why am I here?" asked Gene.

I explained to Gene about my situation. Gene listens attentively, occasionally asking question regarding I'm done, Gene turns to Ouryu.

"The only thing I can do is to advise Mai-chan but I will try my best to help her overcome this trial. However once the solar eclipse occur, will it disrupt the spell you had cast in order to bring me here?" asked Gene.

"No. This spell will last for seven days. Hopefully by that time, the trial has ended," replied Ouryu.

"Mai-chan, you better stay focus on your task. If not, that idiot scientist will yell at you again."

Gene's reminder stop me again from reminiscing what had happened. I take a quick glance at Naru. Sure enough, he is giving me that dagger-like star. I mutter thanks to Gene and quickly get back to my work. There is no use worrying. I just need to brace myself for the coming trial. At least, I have Gene as my voice of conscious. Knowing that he will be with me when I can't rely on Ouryu, give me a sense of security.

* * *

_hey guys! sorry for the late update as I have been very busy. The next case is the House of Fear._


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23: HOUSE OF FEAR (part 1)**

It was already noon by the time we arrived at the house. I have not looked at the pictures of the house. Based on Naru's briefing, I was expecting an old Victorian mansion. I was surprised to find a traditional Japanese mansion. It reminds me of the old castle where the Lord used to reside in the olden days. An old maid, dressed in traditional yukata was waiting for us at the front gate. She informed us that the master of the house will be arriving later and she has been given the task to take them to their room. She also informed us that the master has given them the permission to do anything that they need to do with the house. Naru is very pleased with this arrangement. The maid took us to our room. Then she give us a blueprint of the mansion before leaving us to our own device.

"Well, let's not waste time. We need to set up the camera immediately. Monk and Ayako will take the west wing. Mai and Masako, take care of the east wing," instructed Naru.

There are six rooms at the east wing. A library, a study room, and four bedroom. Masako and I decided to split up and covered three rooms each in order to finish up faster. My first location is the study room. It is a cozy room with just enough table and chair for a small group of people. There is only one empty shelf where people can put books or files. A portrait hung on the wall. I'm not sure if it is Gin-san's picture or his grandfather but the face is similar to the person I met at the inn. The only difference is he is wearing a black and white yukata. His golden eyes still give me the shiver even though it is only a portrait. I decided to ignore the portrait and set up the camera. I was just adjusting the angle of the camera when I heard Gene's voice.

"Mai! Behind you!"

Before I can even turn around to defend myself against whatever creature that has appeared, I feel like I am being caught in a whirlwind. Everything is spinning and I'm getting dizzy.

"Mai, you are getting suck into a portal. Stay calm and focus on your power. If you don't do anything, who knows where it will send you to," shouted Gene.

I can clearly hear Gene's voice in my head but I seriously do not know what to do. Focus my power on what?

"Mai, this is a spell. I don't have time to teach you the counter spell. However, a strong will can usually create miracle. Focus your power on your will. Imagine a place that you want to go and will it," said Ouryu.

I close my eyes and clear my mind. I remember the blueprint of the house. Naru and Lin will be at the basement. I willed myself to be there and focus my energy towards it. Just when I was trying to focus, an invisible force starts to suffocate my breathing. I struggle to fight the force. Gene probably sense it too.

"Mai, rather than a place maybe its easier for you to focus on a person. Think of Naru," shouted Gene.

Naru's face appear in my mind. I remember how I love to look at his midnight blue eyes. I remember despite his cold words, he is still concerns towards my well-being. I find myself able to focus more. At that time a warm feeling spread throughout my body. The next thing I know I was warped into the basement which has become our headquarter. I appear right above Naru who shouted in surprise. Thinking that I will fall into the ground, I quickly shut my eyes. However the impact never came. Despite my surprise appearance, Naru has been quick enough to spread his arm and catch me. He looks at me with a bewildered expression before letting me off gently on the ground. Lin who has been in the room, quickly ran towards us.

"Mai-chan what happen?"

"Erm.. I was setting up the camera. The next thing I know, I was sucked into some kind of portal and appear here," I explained.

Hearing this, Lin starts to chant and summon his shiki. The shiki surrounded me, probably inspecting me before returning to Lin. Lin looked at us with a serious expression.

"Naru, I don't think we are dealing with ghost. Its a spirited away spell. Luckily, something has disrupted the spell. If not, who knows where Mai-chan will be taken to," replied Lin.

Uh oh. I can't believe Lin's shiki has the ability to detect spell. Perhaps this is the best time for me to come clean about my family history and the possibility of our client to be targeting me for Ouryu?

* * *

_Sorry for the late update! I have been too busy with my work, not to mention I have been experiencing a severe writer block. Anyway hope you enjoy the latest chapter. I will try to have another chapter posted by this weekend._


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24: House of Fear (Part II)**

"Gene, should I tell them everything?" I asked him. I'm having this conversation with Gene telepathically. Lin is explaining how the spirited away spell work to Naru. The others have not yet arrived at the base. They are probably still setting up the camera around the mansion.

"You probably should, Mai-chan," replied Gene.

"I don't want them to be involved with this matter because I don't want to put them in danger," I said.

"But Mai-chan, won't it be more dangerous to keep them in the dark? Kuroki will stop at nothing to get Ouryu and I don't think he care if he has to involve Naru and the rest. By telling them the truth, they will be more cautious when things become dangerous," said Gene.

I can't deny the truth in Gene's word. I guess I have no choice but to tell them. I know that Naru will probably be really angry when he heard the truth. He is probably going to accuse me for endangering the life of the other members in SPR.

"Mm... Naru. I have something to tell all of you. Can you get the others to come here?" I asked timidly.

Naru seems surprise with my request. However he does not ask any questions and immediately summon the rest of the gang to gather at the base. Within ten minutes, the others have arrived and I tell them the truth. This time, I do not hold any details. I even tell them about the spell that Ouryu has performed in order to get Gene to be my spirit guide in case Kuroki decided to attack me during the solar eclipse. It is easy enough to read everyone's face. They are surprise to hear about my family legacy and seems really worried about the fact that I'm in danger. Only Naru seems a bit angry with me. I wait for him to reprimand me. To my surprise, he does not yell at me.

"I don't think it safe for us to be staying here anymore. Our client might have been Kuroki and his request might have been a trap for us. Perhaps it is better for us to leave the mansion now. Just leave the equipment. We can come back for them after the solar eclipse. Even if something were to happen to them, we don't have to worry about the damage. I already put them under insurance," replied Naru.

"For the first time, I agreed with you Naru. Let's go," said Bou-san.

All of us start to walk towards the exit. Bou-san opens the door but it will not budge.

"Strange, I can't open the door," said Bou-san.

Bou-san tries even harder but in vain. The others try to open the door too but the result is the same. Everyone except Lin and Naru begins to panic.

"What about the window?" suggested Masako.

Bou-san goes to the window and try to open it but could not. Lin-san summons his shiki. The shiki surrounds the window and door for a while before returning to Lin-san. They float around him for a few minutes before disappearing. Lin-san has a very grave expression on his face.

"I'm afraid we are trapped. A spell is preventing us from leaving this place," explained Lin-san.

"Oh, no! What are we going to do?" said Ayako.

"Calm down everyone. For now, let's go back to the base and discuss what we can do, " said Naru.

We return to the base. Everyone looks gloomy. I begin to feel guilty. If only I have told the the truth earlier, we will not be trapped in this house.

"I'm so sorry everyone. This is all my fault. We will not be trapped here if only I have told you the truth earlier," said Mai-chan.

"Yes. If only you have told us earlier, we won't be in this situation. But what is done is done. It is too late to blame you for what happen," replied Naru sharply.

"Geez, Naru. Can't you be nicer to Mai-chan. She is already feeling down and your words are not helping," said Ayako as she hugs me protectively.

I feel like crying. Naru's words hurt. Boa-san too comes closer to me and pats my head. Masako who has beginning to see me as her best friend, gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and smiles at me. I smile weakly to the three of them. I know that they are trying to cheer me up.

Naru let out a sigh and said, "Since we are trapped here, maybe its better for us to find important necessity like food. Masako and Mai, can you go to the kitchen and see if there are any food for us. If there is any, bring everything to the base. Lin, can you accompany them? If we are facing a sorcerer, you might be able to fend him off. As for the rest of you, stick together with me. I want to inspect every exit and see if it is possible for us to find a way out. Please gather at the base within one hour."

So we divide ourselves into two groups. Lin accompanies the two of us to the kitchen. Along the way, not a soul can be seen. Even the maid who has welcomed us in the first place has disappeared. I wonder if she really is a human being. There is no one in the kitchen but luckily it is filled with ingredients and food. Masako and I think that it is best to bring back dry food like bread and canned food. In this kind of situation, we probably don't have time to cook our food. Once we are satisfied with what we have, the three of us head back to the base. We arrived earlier than the other group. While waiting for them to return, I slowly fall asleep.

* * *

_sorry for the late update. Here is the latest chapter. Enjoy!_


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25: HOUSE OF FEAR (PART III)**

I find myself in the astral plain. Gene is floating next to me. Ouryu is nowhere to be seen. He seldom appears unless it is necessary. The fact that I am in the astral plain could lead to the possibility of us seeing the past related to Kuroki. I look at Gene, wondering if he will guide me towards the memory. However, he just stand there looking confuse.

"I don't think we are here to see anything, Mai-chan. Something has summon us to come to the astral plain," said Gene.

"What?! Nobody has ever try to summon me to the astral plain. Is this Kuroki's doing?" I replied in panic.

"No, it is I who have summoned you," said a voice.

I turn around to see a man dressed in a traditional samurai outfit. His long, black hair is tied into a ponytail with a bandana across his forehead. He has a rather handsome face with a set of deep, black eyes. Gene quickly step in front of me, trying to shield me.

"I mean you no harm," said the man calmly.

His voice has a calming effect. I immediately feel at ease. I know that this man is not the enemy.

"Why did you call us?" I asked.

Before he can answer us, Ouryu makes his appearance. He whistles happily and goes towards the man. The man smiles gently and welcomes Ouryu with a hug.

" I am Yuuji. The first medium of Ouryu and I am also the younger brother of Kuroki," replied the man.

Both Gene and I are shocked by Yuuji's word. I can't believe that Kuroki is related to the five members of the royal family.

"We are from the Tachibana clan, one of the five royal family. My older brother, Kuroki is not always evil. I will show you my past," said Yuuji-san.

At that very moment, the scenery change and we are in a yard, outside a great mansion. Two boys are swinging wooden sword. It is easy to differentiate Kuroki and Yuuji, the colour of their eyes gave them away. Their action is supervised by a stern-looking man.

"My father, Touya is a man of great ambition. He hope that we will be able to become an officer for the king. So he has been training us in sword fight and white magic," said Yuuji-san.

Touya-san is shouting instruction, telling the two brothers to focus their energy to the sword. A few moment later, Yuuji's sword begin to glow with blue light. Touya-san is very pleased and praised Yuuji-san before criticizing Kuroki about his late development.

"We were only a year apart and threfore had a close relationship. Kuroki is gentle and take good care of me. Alas, I was doing better than him in the training. Father began to favour me. Kuroki just wanted father's approval. Jealousy began to consume him and drift us apart." Sadness is evident in Yuuji-san's voice.

The scene changes again. This time Kuroki and Yuuji has grown up into two fine teenagers. An officer from the imperial palace has come to read the emperor's order. The emperor has requested for all the five clans to send a representative who will become the medium for the sacred beasts. As soon as the officer leave the mansion, Touya-san announced that the representative will be Yuuji-san.

"This is the turning point. Kuroki-nichan is deeply disappointed. The other clan has send the eldest son. It is normal for the eldest son to be the heir. Father's decision push Kuroki-nichan to dwell into dark magic in order to gain power," Yuuji-san continues to narrate the past.

We are shown another scene. This time, we see Kuroki reading a spell from an old-looking manuscript. A skeleton clad in black robe appears from behind and somehow submerges into Kuroki. Kuroki shouts in agony and his body begins to tremble. It seems like there is a fight between two souls within his body. A few minute later, he stops moving. For a moment, i thought that he has died. The way his body slumps on the ground is similar to a lifeless corpse. Suddenly, he opens his eyes and I nearly shout in fear. He seems like a different person. There is no more trace of the gentle Kuroki. What is left is something evil.

"Kuroki-nichan found an old forbidden spell. He thought that spell will give him power beyond any human. However, it turn out to be a spell to resurrect the ancient warlock, Kishin. As soon as he is revived, he has taken control of my brother's body," explained Yuuji-san.

"What? So the one behind this is Kishin? If he has taken control of Kuroki-san's body, is it possible for us to return him to normal?" I asked in surprise.

"Alas, my child it is impossible. Too many years had passed by. He is beyond saving. The only thing you can do is to free his soul. I am afraid I do not know the way to defeat Kishin. He is too powerful. I had tried to stop him but I only managed to trap him. That effort alone had cost my life," said Yuuji-san sadly.

I cannot help but feel hopeless. I has just recently discover my power. Even Yuuji-san has failed. Yuuji-san who has been trained since young. What hope can I possibly have of defeating Kishin? Perhaps, Yuuji-san senses my uneasiness. He takes my hand and gives me a small talisman.

" My child, this talisman is given to me by Kuroki-nichan when we were still children. It is a reminder of his love towards me. I do not know how much power it contain but perhaps it will be off some help to you. Please don't be afraid of the darkness. You are not alone. You have your trusted friends besides you. I'm sure that they will be able to support you. It is time for us to depart. You need to go now. Good luck!"said Yuuji-san as he plants a kiss on my forehead.

I wake up and immediately look at my watch. In another ten minutes, the solar eclipse will occur.

* * *

_Finally another chapter. Thanks for the supporting comments. _


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: House of Fear (Part IV)**

I remember the talisman that I have received from Yuuji-san. I look around and find it on the floor. I let out a sigh of relief.

"What is that?"

I turn around to see Naru gazing at me. The rest, even Lin-san are still sleeping.

"A talisman that I got at the astral plain. I got it from Yuuji-san. He was the first medium for Ouryu. He gave it to me, saying that it might be a bit of help," I replied.

"If that is the case, we better do something to it so that you will not lost it. You are just too clumsy sometimes. Give it to me," said Naru.

I obey his words without hesitation. I watch him takes a small string and ties it to the talisman, making it into a necklace.

"Let me put it around your neck," said Naru.

I nod and allow him to put it around my neck. I could feel my cheek getting red when he put his arm around my neck in order to fasten the necklace. Geez, this is not the time to feel flatter. Naru is just doing it to make sure that I will not lost the talisman. Once he has finished fastening the necklace, he sits next to me and throws his gaze towards the ceiling.

"You said that Ouryu casts a spell to get Gene to be your spirit guide. How come I can't speak to him?" asked Naru.

"Owh, Ouryu said that Gene's spirit has passed on. So only I can hear him," I replied.

"I see. I would have like the chance to speak to him again," said Naru.

I feel guilty upon hearing Naru's words. No matter how cold Naru is, of course he will miss his one and only twin brother. Gene is his only blood relative in this world. It seems a bit unfair that me, a person who is unrelated by blood still has the chance to talk to Gene but not Naru.

"If you like, I can ask him," I said timidly.

"No. The things that I want to talk about to Gene is rather personal," answered Naru.

Geez, I done it again. Of course. Why will he want me to know his personal matter?

"Sorry, Naru. I don't mean to pry into your business," I apologized.

Naru slowly turns his gaze towards me.

"Don't worry about it. The solar eclipse will happen soon. I think it will be better to wake up the rest of the team," said Naru.

"No, need. We are already up! Both of you have been so observed with each other, you don't even realize the surrounding," Bou-san's voice suddenly appeared.

Startled, both Naru and me avert our gaze to our surrounding. True enough, all of the members have woke up.

"So, boss? What should we do?" asked Bou-san.

"There is nothing else that we can do but wait and see what will happen. To ensure our safety, Boa-san, Ayako-san and Lin can put up a barrier around us. At least if we are attack, it will take them some time to reach us," Naru replied.

Boa-san, Ayako-san and Lin-san immediately follow Naru's instruction. They make a circle using a white chalk and ask all of us to stand in the circle. Once everyone is inside the circle, they start to chant. I can see a faint blue force surrounding us, a sign that the barrier has been build successfully.

Once done, Boa-san looks at his watch and said, "Solar eclipse is approaching. Naru, would you mind if I make a countdown for the solar eclipse?"

Naru nods his head as a sign of approval and Boa-san immediately starts counting.

"10, 9, 8 ..."

I am surprise when Naru who is standing next to me suddenly grabs my hand.

"7,6, 5..."

"Don't leave my side," Naru whispered softly to make sure that I'm the only one who hear his words. I blush and nod slowly.

"3,2,1!"

At that moment, I can no longer sense Ouryu. I feel slightly weaker as if my power has been reduced to half. Most of us are holding our breathe, anticipating for something to happen. However, there is only silence. Lin-san and Masako-san are looking around, using their senses to see if there is any negative energy coming for us. I am about to let out a sigh of relief but Gene immediately reminds me to continue staying alert.

"Did this Kuroki person got his time wrong? I thought for sure he will do something by now," said Boa-san.

He speaks too soon. As soon as he finishes saying those sentences, a strong negative energy suddenly appears. The barrier around us shatters almost immediately and we are caught in a whirlwind.

"It's the spirited away spell! This is stronger than the previous one. Mai-chan informs everyone to grab hold of the nearest person. At the very least even if you got separated, you won't be alone," said Gene.

"Everyone, grab hold of the people around you!" I shouted in respond to Gene's advice.

The others immediately follow my instruction. In the chaos, I get to see Ayako-san holding on to Boa-san, John-san with Masako-chan and Lin-san with Naru. Naru reaches out his hand towards me and I grab it desperately. The whirlwind is getting stronger, making it difficult for me to hold on to his hand. I can feel my hand slipping away. Naru tries to pull me towards him.

"Nooooo! Mai!"

The next thing I see is Naru's expression of horror as he watches me being drag away from him and swallow by a portal. And then, there is only darkness ...

* * *

_Yipee... I manage to finish a new chapter. Somehow, the words come easily this time. The next chapter will be the forbidden spell against Mai. What is Mai's greatest fear? Will she be able to overcome it? What happen to Naru and the others? I might switch to Naru's POV later. _


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27: House of Fear (Part V)**

The wind was too strong. I tried to concentrate my power to build a shield around myself. I managed to do it but the shield felt weaker than the usual one. Gene continued to whisper words of encouragement. The wind slowly subsided and I slowly observed my surrounding. Looks like the spirited away spell had left me in a long hallway. Having the chance to explore the place before the eclipse, I realized that this is the third floor near the west wing. Not a soul could be seen at the corridor.

"Gene, the others... Do you think they are safe?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Mai. At least they are not alone," replied Gene.

Gene's answer cheered me up. They were not alone. Each of them managed to grab to a partner before the spirited away spell took effect. Together, they will be stronger. At the same time, I felt a bit lonely. Although I could speak with Gene, his soul was really in the other world. Moreover, Ouryu had disappeared due to the solar eclipse. After having the golden dragon inside of me for quite some times, it felt strange to be on my own without hearing his beautiful voice. As I was contemplating on what to do next, a sense of foreboding and dread gripped me. There was something ahead of me. Something evil. My enemy, Kuroki. No... my enemy was not Kuroki but Kishin. Not sure what to do, I seeked Gene for advice.

"Gene, I can feel him. What should I do? Should I run or should I face him?"

"I don't think you can outrun him, Mai-chan but facing him alone is also not a good idea. I think ..."

Before Gene could finish his word, a voice cried out in pain. It sounded like a man's voice. My body moved automatically before I could think of the next action. I ran in front towards the voice. Gene probably knew that there was nothing he could do to stop me. He shouted at me, telling me to be careful. The voice continued to shout in agony. It was coming from the room at the end of the corridor. I cautiously opened the door. A man was lying on the floor, writhing in pain with his eyes close. I knew this person. He had come to the agency. It was Gin Ichimaru. For some reasons, I did not feel any fear towards him. I was convinced that this person is a human being. Come to think of it, Naru has always been cautious when he accepted cases. He would do a background check on the client before agreeing to take the case. Gin Ichimaru was probably a real person who has been possessed by Kuroki under the influence of Kishin.

"Gene, what's wrong with him? He seems to be in so much pain," I said to Gene.

"Rather than worrying about him, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?" a cold voice appeared out of nowhere.

Startled, I looked up and Kuroki was sitting in the arm chair. His golden eyes were staring at me, filled with malice. He looked just like Gin Ichimaru. What's going on?

"Stop this..." gasped Gin as he opened his eyes. I was surprise to see that Gin has black eyes.

"Huh, I can't believe that my last descendant is born without any magical power," said Kuroki.

So that was the reason. That explained the resemblance between Gin and Kuroki.

"Whatever you do to him. Stop it. He is your descendant. Why are you torturing him?" I said angrily.

"You are definitely the heir to Higuchi, filled with a sense of justice," mocked Kuroki.

" Aren't you part of the family too? You are Yuuji-san big brother," I said, hoping that the name will bring back his humanity.

"Hah, no we are not. Yuuji died without a heir. So he asked his most trusted disciple, Ryouma Higuchi to be the next medium for Ouryu. And if you want to live longer, do not mention his name anymore," replied Kuroki.

For some reasons, Kuroki had gotten angrier. His power suddenly intensified and the pressure of his power made me shudder. I couldn't stop myself from shaking.

"Kuroki-san, you are being used by Kishin. Please, return to your senses." I pleaded.

"What are you talking about? I'm being myself. Enough of this foolish talk. It's time to finish this. With you gone, I can finally absorb Ouryu's power and become the most powerful sorcerer in this Earth." Kuroki started to chant and waved his hand. A dark orb appeared and headed straight towards me. The orb hit me and once again I can only see darkness.

*3rd narrator P.O.V.

Just as Mai was hit by the spell, the door opened revealing Naru. Naru stared in horror as he witnessed Mai falling to the floor. Kuroki didn't seem surprise with Naru's sudden appearance.

"You are too late. The spell has taken effect. It wouldn't be long before she succumbed to her greatest fear and died," said Kuroki.

* * *

_Sorry for the late update! I was facing some personal problem and didn't have the time to update. By the way, some of the comments been asking whether I read Yuyu Hakusho and if some of the names that I used came from the manga. Yes, I did read the manga but I did not used their name. Most of the names (first name or family names) were inspired from some of my favourite manga like Fruit Basket, Sakura Cardcaptor, Bleach, Samurai X etc. Btw the next chapter will be a combination of Naru's P.O.V. and Mai's P.O.V. Hope you like this chapter._


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28: House of Fear (Part VI)**

*Naru's P.O.V.

"Nooo! Mai!"

The wind carried Mai into the portal. I tried to go after her but Lin was clinging to my waist, trying to stop me from getting into the portal.

"Let me go, Lin!" I shouted desperately.

"Calm down, Naru. It is too dangerous for you to enter the portal. You might not end up in the same place as Mai-chan," said Lin.

Suddenly the wind started blowing in a different direction. Both me and Lin were thrown into the opposite side of the room. I thought that the two of us will hit the wall. I braced myself to meet the impact. However we never meet the wall. Instead another portal appeared and we were swallowed by it. Lin continued to hold on to my hand, shouting some incantations. The wind stopped and we fell into the ground.

"Are you ok, Naru?" inquired Lin.

"I'm fine," I replied bitterly.

I stared at my hand. Just a moment before, I was still holding on to Mai's small hand. I can't believe she just disappeared right in front of me. "Stay by my side, always." I had said those words to Mai and yet it was I, myself who had let go of her hand in the middle of the chaos.

"Looks like we are at in the east wing. If I'm not mistaken, this is the third floor," Lin's voice brought me back to reality and for the first time I looked around my surrounding.

Lin was right about our location. Nobody else seemed to be around us. It seemed like we had been separated from the rest of the SPR members.

"Lin, release your shiki and order them to find the others," I instructed.

Lin obeyed my order. His shiki disappeared for a few minutes and re-appeared again in order to report their discoveries to Lin.

"It seems like the others are alright. They are currently at the second floor. Ayako-san and Bou-san are at the east wing while John and Masako end up at the west wing. There is no sign of Mai-chan. Something is hindering my shiki from detecting her," Lin replied.

I did not take the news very well. Mai could be in more danger as more time passes. It was essential for us to find her. I needed to think of something. Wait a minute! Just like me, Mai is also a P.K. user. Is it possible for me to be able to detect her P.K. energy? I started to concentrate my P.K. and expanded my senses. At first I couldn't sense anything. Suddenly I sensed someone using their P.K. energy. The P.K. energy gave out a warm and soft feeling. I immediately knew that it belonged to Mai. I tried to estimate her location. The last room at the end of the west wing! We are in the same floor! However, it is not only Mai's energy alone that I'm sensing. There is a dark power nearby. I can't lose any more time!

"Lin, you go and get the others. Then take them to the last room at the end of the wing in this floor," I said

"Wait, Naru! What about you? Wouldn't it be better if all of us go together?" asked Lin.

"There's no more time! Mai's in danger. Hurry up and get them. I will try to stall as much time as possible," I replied.

Lin nodded and started to run towards the stairs while I ran to the opposite direction. Please Mai, please be okay. It seemed like it took me forever to reach the destination. As I reached out to open the door, I could hear somebody muttering an incantation. I opened the door only to be greeted with the scene of seeing Mai fell down to the floor after being hit by a dark orb. There was somebody else in the room. A person who looked like Gin Ichimaru was laying on the floor unconscious. Another person who has similar face as Gin was standing in the middle of the room. He looked at me and said, "You are too late. The spell has taken effect. It wouldn't be long before she succumbed to her greatest fear and died".

"Mai!" I quickly went to her side and cradled her in my arm. I was relief to find that Mai was only unconscious. She is still breathing. However, my relief was short-lived. Mai's body started to feel cold. I tried to wake her up by shaking her gently.

"Mai.. Mai, please wake up! Don't do this to me!" I cried out.

The man... Kuroki just watched me silently as if enjoying the drama that was unfolding in front of him.

"What did you do to her!" I shouted angrily as I released my P.K. energy towards him. However, it didn't even hurt him. The energy bounced back as if there was a shield around Kuroki.

"There's nothing you can do now. You are not going to be her knight in shinning armour. In fact, nobody an wake her up now," said Kuroki as he laughed.

Mai suddenly started muttering. It seemed like she was having a bad dream. I stopped trying to confront Kuroki and once again sat by her side. Suddenly, vine appeared and slowly started to wrap itself around Mai's leg. I tried to destroy the vine with my p.k. power but it continued to re-generate.

"What is this?" I shouted, frustrated with myself for not being able to help Mai.

At that moment, Lin appeared with the rest of the gang.

"Naru! Oh no, Mai-chan!" cried Ayako.

Masako and Ayako immediately sat by my side. Ayako tried to burn off the vine with her power but to no avail. Lin, Bou-san and John immediately faced Kuroki but none of their incantation was working. Kuroki just laughed as if he was enjoying the whole spectacle.

"Save your energy. There is nothing you can do. Don't worry, I won't kill all of you yet. I will allow you to watch Mai die and let you witness my power after absorbing Ouryu," said Kuroki joyfully.

"What is this vine?I can't seem to burn it off," said Ayako in despair without paying any attention to Kuroki.

Well, seeing that she is going to die soon. Why not I entertain you? The vine is a signal that Mai is slowly succumbing to her biggest fear. When the vine has covered her entire body, it means that the she has completely succumbed to the fear and her life force will vanish. She will sleep forever. There's nothing you can do to wake the sleeping beauty" said Kuroki.

Lin, Bou-san and John stopped trying to attack Kuroki. They sit besides me, looking worried.

I slowly whispered to Mai's ears, hoping that my voice can reached her, "Mai, return to me please. You make a promise."

* * *

_And another update. So next chapter will be about Mai's greatest fear. What is she seeing in her sleep?_


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29: House of Fear (Part VII)**

*Mai P.O.V.

'Where am I?" I asked aloud. Once again, I found myself alone in total darkness. Kuroki is nowhere insight. Did he send me to another place again using the spirited away spell?

"Gene, do you have any idea what just happened?" I asked Gene.

Gene did no reply. For the first time I realized that I could not sense his presence.

"Gene! Where are you? Where did you go?" I tried to sense his whereabouts.

Ouryu's spell is supposed to connect me with Gene's spirit. This is the counter measure taken by Ouryu in order to ensure that I will not be alone if I had somehow been separated from the SPR team. Fear and panic begin to seep into my emotion. Did the spell simply severe her connection with Gene's spirit? Or did the spell did something worse to Gene? No! Gene has passed on. There was nothing that Kuroki can do to harm him. The spell must have simply severe their connection. That thought bring comfort to me and I began to calm down. I will be alright. Before I met the SPR team, didn't I used to live alone? I was able to survive. I will be fine alone.

After calming down, I decided to find a way out. This dark space must have a way out. I just need to trust my instinct. I close my eyes and try to use my sixth sense. Although I was surrounded by darkness, my instinct told me that the exit was in front of me. Somehow, I can sense light ahead. I opened my eyes and head towards that direction. I had been walking for quite sometimes when I saw something ahead of me. I saw two people walking in front of me, a man and a woman. I quickly ran to catch up with them.

"Please wait! Sir! Ma'am! I need your help!" I shouted desperately, fearing that they will not hear me and disappear into the darkness.

The two people stopped and turned around. To my delight, it was Boa-san and Ayako-san.

"Boa-san! Ayako-san! So you end up here too? Great! I was scared to find myself alone!" I said happily.

Instead of looking happy to see me as well, Boa-san and Ayako-san looked at me strangely. That was weird. Usually, Boa-san will be the first person to greet me with a hug. The way they were looking at me was as if they did not know me.

"I'm sorry but do we know each other?" asked Boa-san.

"What are you talking about? It's me, Mai!" I said with a tremble in my voice.

" I'm sorry but we don't know anyone by that name. Right, guys?" said Ayako-san as she turned and talked to someone ahead of her. I heard footsteps and from the darkness John and Masako appeared. They looked at me strangely.

"Nope. I'm sorry miss. I am afraid we do not know who you are" said John-san politely.

"What are you talking about? We work together," I said desperately.

"If you worked for me, I should know who you are but unfortunately I don't," said a voice I have known so well. I turned to see Naru and Lin standing together.

Naru is staring at me like a stranger. I was shocked. Did Kuroki alter their memories? Have they forgotten who she is?

"I worked at your office. You always asked me to make tea for you. Don't you remember who I am?" I asked tearfully.

Naru looked at me coldly and replied, "I'm sorry. No such worker exists in my office. You are wasting our time. Let's go, everyone."

"Wait!" I tried to stop them but it was too late as the SPR members had disappeared into the darkness. I ran after them but I could not find them. They were just here a minute ago. How can they disappear without a trace? As I was running after them, fear and sadness began to dominate my feeling again. Naru's word echoes in my head. "No such worker exists in my office". Do not exist! How can I not exist? I was with you guys for a long time! Please don't forget me! I don't want to be forgotten!

# Narrator P.O.V.

At first the vine is only around Mai's ankle. However now, it has spread straight to her legs. The SPR members can only watched helplessly. Kuroki was sneering. It seemed like he can see what was happening to Mai in her dream.

"Foolish little girl. For such a thing to be her greatest fear."

#Mai P.O.V.

The SPR members are nowhere to be found. I had stopped running and walked slowly. All the time, I tried to comfort myself by telling myself that everything will turn out alright. Kuroki's spell can be reversed and the SPR members will become normal again and remember her identity. However no matter what I said to myself, I cannot stop myself from trembling. I looked around this empty, dark space. This darkness, this silence. It is similar to loneliness. I should be fine with it. Before I met the SPR members, loneliness was a friend. I was lost in my thought when I sensed something. A spirit is nearby! I immediately looked up. Gene! So the spell did separate him from me!

"Gene! Oh, boy am I glad to see you! I was scared to find myself alone without you just now."

Instead of replying, Gene just looked at me strangely. Oh, no! This can't be! Don't tell me!

"I'm sorry but I don't think I know you," replied Gene.

"No, Gene! Not you too! You're my spirit guide!" I cried out in panic. My legs no longer have the strength to stand. I collapsed on the ground with tears in my eyes.

Gene looked at me with sympathy and said, "No. I think you got the wrong person. I'm sorry but I have to go now."

Gene disappeared, leaving me alone to cry. "Not you too Gene! Don't forget me! I don't want to be forgotten! Being forgotten is almost the same as I did not exist!"

#Narrator P.O.V.

The vine has now crept up to Mai's waist. Naru will not let go of her hands. He continued to hold it tight, calling Mai's name and asking her to wake up.

* * *

Sorry for the late update. I have been busy with my work. Will try to write the next chapter by tomorrow. In the next chapter, just when things seems hopeless, the talisman was triggered by someone and finally the battle with Kuroki a.k.a Kishin will begin. Somebody said I have been rushing to the end for the story. It's not like I'm rushing to end the story but when I started to write this story, I had already planned to make 'The House of Fear' as the last case. Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter :)


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: House of Fear (Part VIII)**

# Naru's P.O.V.

The vine had reached her waist. I hated myself for not being able to do anything. I looked at the others SPR members. They too had stopped doing anything. Most of them seemed to have lost any hope of reversing the spell.

"Mai, please wake up. You promise me didn't you? You promise that you will not leave my side," I said trying to hide my tremble.

My voice did not reach her. I looked at her sleeping face. She seemed so pale. I wanted to see her opened her eyes. I wanted to see her smile. More than anything, I wanted to hear her voice. I was still holding on to her hand. To my horror, I could feel her hand slowly becoming cold. I realized that Mai is dying. I could feel my eyes becoming teary. I am surprise by myself. The only time I cried was the time when I woke up from my sleep after seeing Gene's death experience. I did not even cry during Gene's funeral. I let go of Mai's hand and slowly caress her cheek. The fact that I am feeling so sad showed how important Mai had become in my life. I had already lost one important person. I cannot lose another one now. Moreover, I still have not tell her about the most important thing.

"Mai. I can't lose you too. Please... I...I..love you," I confessed as droplet of tear fell from my eyes. I didn't realize my tears had fallen into the talisman which was fasten around Mai's neck. Suddenly the talisman started to shine brightly, filling the room with white light. The light was so bright, I had to shield my eyes with my hand. I could hear the rest of the SPR members shouting in confusion over this new development.

# Mai's P.O.V.

"I don't want to be forgotten! If no one remembers me, it seemed like I don't exist. There is no meaning for me to stay alive. Please, don't forget me!" I could not stop my tears from falling. The fear was too great for me to handle. At that very moment, I heard a voice calling out to me from faraway. I almost couldn't hear the voice due to my sobbing.

"Mai! Mai! Wake up!"

That voice sounded so familiar yet I could not remember to whom it belonged to. I stopped sobbing and looked around me. Something is shinning far ahead of me. A small speck of white light. Is that the exit? Should I go there? I slowly stand up. I was about to take a step forward but suddenly I remembered what had happened. What if the speck of light is not the exit but a trap? What if I went there and I really did end up disappearing from the world? These negative thoughts stopped me from moving forward. At that moment, the voice called out again. It's stronger now.

"Mai! I have been calling for you all this time! Even that idiot scientist had been calling for you. Wake up!" said the voice angrily.

"Gene?" This time all my fear disappeared. "Is that really you, Gene?"

"Mai! Thank goodness! Can you hear me now?" said Gene. His voice still sound faraway but at least I could hear him clearer now.

"Yes! What happened?" I asked.

"No time to explain. The talisman is weakening the spell. You need to escape, now!" urged Gene.

I did not understand what Gene's meant by escaping but I guess he wanted me to run towards the light. I took a deep breath and started running towards the light. The speck of light became bigger and brighter. Soon I could no longer opened my eyes. However, I continued running towards the light.

#Naru's P.O.V.

The light gradually disappeared and to my delight the vine around Mai was withering away. Kuroki who saw what happened was enraged. He started to attack us by muttering some incantations that send balls of dark orbs towards us. Luckily, Lin and Boa-san reacted fast. They had already stood up and muttered incantation to build a shield around us. However, it was clear that Kuroki had great power. Both Lin and Boa-san were struggling to keep the shield up.

" Naru, we will try to hold on as long as possible! Has Mai-chan wake up yet? We might need extra help to fence Kuroki," shouted Boa-san.

"No, she is still sleeping," I replied worriedly.

The vine had withered away so Mai should be awaken by now. Why is she still sleeping?

" Don't worry Noll. She just need a few more minutes to wake up," a voice that I have not expected to hear answered my question.

"Gene? I thought only Mai can hear you," I said to him telepathically.

"Well, yeah. But you triggered the talisman so you could hear me temporarily. Since the talisman is a proof of love between Kuroki and his younger brother, I guess it also required love to activate its mysterious power. The talisman weakened the spells enabling Mai to break free and at the same time amplify Ouryu's spell that established my connection with Mai, causing you to be able to hear me as well," replied Gene.

"I see," I said feeling relief to know that Mai will wake up soon.

"Look! She's awaken now!" replied Gene.

Sure enough, Mai slowly opened her eyes. I quickly help her to stand up.

"Are you okay, Mai?" I asked.

Mai nodded. Her eyes seemed to be a bit unfocused. She probably still did not know what happened and feeling confused about the current situation. Ayako-san who was standing behind us quickly give Mai a hug.

"Mai! I'm so glad you are alright!" she said.

"Ugh! It's cool that Mai is awakened now but we need a little help here!" shouted Boa-san.

Upon hearing Boa-san's shout, Mai's eyes became focused again. She became aware of the situation and looked straight ahead to face Kuroki.

* * *

Phew! Okay, I will try to update another chapter tomorrow. If I can't do it tomorrow, at least by Saturday's night I will post another chapter. Got to go! Its time for me to go for my work. Hope you like this chapter :)


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: House of Fear (Part IX)**

#Mai P.O.V.

Kuroki was attacking us without any sign of stopping. Those dark orbs looked like bad news and we need to avoid getting hit by them. Boa-san and Lin-san were already struggling to keep the shield intact. However as long as the shield were up, we could not do anything to Kuroki. We were trapped like a mouse. Think, Mai! Think! There must be something that I can do. I tried to be calm and remembered the things that I had learned from Ouryu and Lin-san. Is there any spell that I could use to at least stop Kuroki from continuing to hurl his dark orbs?

"Every spell is different. Some required only incantation and your spiritual power but some may required certain body movements," said Ouryu while he was teaching her some spells.

Body movements? I immediately observed Kuroki's actions. Every time he produced the orbs, he need to use his hand to hurl the orbs towards them. That's it! If I can somehow crippled his hand movements, he won't be able to attack! The only way to do that was not by using spells but by using my PK energy! I began to focus my PK energy. I imagine using my PK energy to force Kuroki to raise his arms to the air. Alas, my energy was not enough. I could feel my legs wobbling.

"Mai!" Naru exclaimed as he put his arm around my shoulder, stopping me from stumbling in front.

"Don't try to do everything yourself, Mai! Let Naru helps you!" I could hear Gene yelling inside my head.

"I can't do that! Naru's life will be endangered if he used PK. Besides, you are not around anymore to make sure that he did not leak too much energy," I replied.

I was waiting for Gene to reply in my head. However to my surprise, another voice answered, "It's ok, Mai. Tell me what to do."

"Naru? How did you?" I was stunned and looked at Naru who was standing beside me.

Naru was looking at me without moving his mouth, yet I could clearly hear his voice in my head.

"It seemed like the talisman amplify Ouryu's spell. So I could temporarily communicate telepathically with you and Gene. Now tell me, what are you planning to do?" said Naru.

"Kuroki need to use his hand to direct those orbs towards us. I thought about using my PK to stop his hand movement," I replied.

"Once we done that, what are you planning to do next?" asked Naru.

"Kuroki is not really evil! He is being manipulated by a warlock called Kishin. If I could bring back some senses to him, perhaps he could break free from Kishin's control," I answered.

Naru was silent for a while, processing the information that I had given to him.

"Guys! A little help!" Boa-san yelled. He was already on his knee, trying hard to keep the shield up. Lin-san was still standing but he too looked exhausted.

"Lin! Mai and I are going to try something. Once Kuroki stopped sending us those orbs, can you create a shield around Kuroki to completely stop his movement?" yelled Naru.

Lin nodded his head as a sign that he was capable of doing it. Naru slowly released his arm around my shoulder and started to concentrate. I could see a drop of sweat trickling from his forehead. I prayed for Naru's safety as I watched him used his PK before turning my attention to Kuroki. At first nothing happened, I began to fear that perhaps Kuroki was too strong to be affected by PK energy. Then suddenly Kuroki started to shout as he was slowly forced to raise his hands up. Lin who had been waiting for the dark orbs attack to stop immediately seize the chance to cast the shield around Kuroki, thus effectively trapped him. As soon as Kuroki was trapped, I immediately turned my attention to Naru and was shocked to see John supporting Naru. Naru's eyes were closed. Oh, no! Don't tell me he's unconscious! I remembered how Naru had been in coma for three days after using his PK.

"It's okey, Mai-chan! I got him! Naru is just tired," said John and to my relief, Naru slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm fine. Now, it's your turn," said Naru weakly.

I nodded and walked towards Kuroki. He did not seem very happy to be trapped in the shield. He kept yelling and tried to cast some spells but strangely nothing happened. I looked at Lin and realized that his shiki were flying around him. Lin no longer looked pale. He seemed to notice me looking at him and said, "I have to use my shiki to cast the shield and since I almost ran out of energy, they were taking Kuroki's spiritual power. That's why he could not cast any spell temporarily."

"Kuroki-san. Please stop this, you are being manipulated by Kishin," I said.

Kuroki started laughing and replied, "What are you saying? I am doing this by my own free will! Nobody is manipulating me!In fact, it is I who was using Kishin! I am the one who summoned him so I am his master!"

It seemed like Kuroki did not realize the truth. Kishin probably had brainwashed him into believing that it was his desire to obtain the sacred beast. There must be something that I could do to turn him back into the loving brother that Yuuji-san used to know. I unconsciously reached out for the talisman around my neck. I remembered what I had seen in the past. How Kuroki had been consumed by jealousy in his effort to get his father's approval. Perhaps, if he remembered the cause of his hunger for power...maybe, just maybe...

"Kuroki-san, why are you doing this? Why do you need the sacred beast?" I asked boldly.

"Why you ask? Of course, to show to father that Yuuji is not the only one who can control the sacred beasts. If I show him that I could, he will love me more than Yuuji!" shouted Kuroki angrily.

"But Kuroki-san, your father died many years ago! Even if you do this, do you think your father will approve of your power?" I tried to provoke him into thinking that his action was useless.

"That is why I need to get Ouryu! After getting the four beasts, father send Yuuji to stop me! That fool Yuuji! Instead of killing me, he tried to use the forbidden spell to extract Kishin and the other sacred beasts from me. However he end up dying and only managed to trap me! By getting Ouryu, I can at last prove to Father that I am stronger than Yuuji!" replied Kuroki.

"Kuroki-san, do you really think that your father will be happy with what you are doing in the after life? You said it yourselves that your father send Yuuji to stop you. Stopping a son from going the wrong path is a proof of fatherly's love! And Yuuji-san, Yuuji-san love you as his brother. Instead of killing you, he tried to save you by using a forbidden spell even though he knows it will cost him his life," I said.

The expression on Kuroki's face changed upon my words. His eyes were wavering, the anger and hatred had been replaced by uncertainty. Just one more push and I could turn Kuroki to normal. There must be something that could help persuade Kuroki. My hand was still holding on to the talisman. Looking at the talisman, I remembered Yuuji-san's sad eyes as he said that it was too late to save Kuroki. It must have been heart-breaking for Yuuji-san to say those words because I was sure that Yuuji-san wanted nothing more than to have his old brother back. Suddenly the talisman started to shine again and a vision of the past appeared before us.

Yuuji-san and his father, Touya were sitting in a room. A scroll was sprawled on the tatami. The scroll bear the emperor's crest. It was similar to the scroll that the officer from the imperial palace had used to read out the emperor's order. Touya looked frail and troubled. He was no longer the strict man who were instructing his sons in white magic.

"The emperor has ordered us to stop Kuroki at all cost. They had already located his hideout so I am going to go there tomorrow. While I am gone, please take care of the clan," said Touya to Yuuji.

"No, father! Let me go! You are not well enough to cast the forbidden spell," replied Yuuji worriedly.

"I have already lost a son, I am not going to lose another one. It is a duty of a father to stop his beloved son from going the wrong path even if I had to die in order to do so. After all, it was my fault that Kuroki turned out like that. I should have told him the real reason why I did not choose him as the representative. Not anyone could bear the sacred beasts. If you are not compatible with the sacred beasts, your body will not be able to withstand their power and you will end up dying. I choose you because I could not bear the thought of losing him because I know he is not strong enough," said Touya.

"If the forbidden spell failed, you will die. However, it will be different for me. I am young and I have Ouryu. Even if I failed to cast the forbidden spell successfully, it will only shorten my life span by half. So please father, let me be the one to return Kuroki nii-chan," persuade Yuuji.

"Very well, my son. You have my blessing," answered Touya as he hugged his younger son.

The vision disappeared and I watched as Kuroki-san fell down to the ground. "What have I done... What have I done..." He was trembling and holding his hand into a fist. All this time, Kuroki-san had been blinded by jealousy that he was unable to see the love that his father and brother had for him. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. However at the same time, I was happy and relief. The nightmare is over. The danger had passed. However, my relief was short-lived. A strong dark energy suddenly appeared and Kuroki shouted in pain as he clutched to his forehead. The shield around Kuroki-san cracked and Kuroki-san fell to the ground. Dark light began to envelop his body and he slowly raised to the air.

"MUST I DO EVERYTHING MYSELF! THIS USELESS VESSEL! JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WILL FINALLY GOT MY HAND ON OURYU!"

The deep voice was coming from Kuroki and as he opened his eyes, I was shocked to see that his eyes had turned completely black.

"Mai, be careful! That is not Kuroki," shouted Gene.

"I know. This is Kishin," I replied as my body shudder due to the pressure of the dark energy.

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. Actually finished it by Saturday night but I was unable to post it online. Ugh, my work is pilling up again. will try to post another one within this week. For now, enjoy this latest chapter.


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